anchor escapement

American  

noun

Horology.

1. an escapement in which wedge-shaped pallets engage with an escape wheel having pointed teeth, usually facing in the direction of revolution, so that the escape wheel recoils slightly at every release.

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Etymology

Origin of anchor escapement

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anchor escapement

The company’s Marine Chronometer Manufacture features a new in-house movement, the UN-118 Caliber, with an anchor escapement made of a material dubbed DIAMonSIL, a composite of silicon and synthetic diamond.

From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2012

The anchor escapement, unlike the verge escapement he had been using in his pendulum clocks, allowed the pendulum to swing in such a small arc that maintaining a cycloidal pathway became unnecessary.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 31, 2011

The celebrated English clockmaker Thomas Tompion—and, subsequently, his successor, George Graham—later mod­i­fied the anchor escapement to operate without recoil.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 31, 2011

These, together with the later ideas of anchor escapement evolved by Graham, put clocks, within the span of a few years, on an almost modern basis.

From Christopher and the Clockmakers by Stecher, William F. (William Frederick)

The invention of the anchor escapement in about 1670, and the consequent greater accuracy in time-telling, led to increased preoccupation with precision.

From The Borghesi Astronomical Clock in the Museum of History and Technology Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology, Paper 35, the Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum Bulletin 240 by Bedini, Silvio A.