tourbillon
Americannoun
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Horology. a frame for the escapement of a timepiece, especially a watch, geared to the going train in such a way as to rotate the escapement about once a minute in order to minimize positional error.
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a firework that rises spirally.
Between two spectacular pinwheels, they launched a series of silvery tourbillons.
Etymology
Origin of tourbillon
First recorded in 1470–80; earlier turbilloun, from Middle French to(u)rbillon, from unattested Vulgar Latin turbiliōnem, dissimilated variant of turbiniōnem, accusative of turbiniō “whirlwind”; see turbine, -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It has an inclined tourbillon, a feature aimed at improving accuracy by counteracting gravity, which adds to its rarity in the watch world.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024
He had a collection of tourbillon watches and the latest stylish haircut.
From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2019
It features a manual-wound skeleton tourbillon, a 72-hour power reserve, and a whopping 260 carats of Emerald-cut diamonds adorning everything from the crown to case.
From Golf Digest ● Jun. 28, 2018
Instead, he decorated the delicate parts of a stainless steel tourbillon for the Swiss watch brand Richard Mille; the watch, which became available in June, retails for $800,000.
From New York Times ● Nov. 13, 2016
A new face arose, the pretty Leontine von Morien, the tourbillon of the princely court at Rheinsberg, who pined away in sighs.
From Old Fritz and the New Era by Peter Langley
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