escapement

[ ih-skeyp-muhnt ]

noun

1. Horology. the portion of a watch or clock that measures beats and controls the speed of the going train. Compare anchor escapement, deadbeat ( def 4 ), lever escapement.
2. a mechanism for regulating the motion of a typewriter carriage, consisting of pawls and a toothed wheel or rack.
3. a mechanism in a piano that causes a hammer to fall back into rest position immediately after striking a string.
4. an act of escaping.
5. Archaic. a way of escape; outlet.

escapement

/ ɪˈskeɪpmənt /

noun

1. horology a mechanism consisting of an escape wheel and anchor, used in timepieces to provide periodic impulses to the pendulum or balance
2. any similar mechanism that regulates movement, usually consisting of toothed wheels engaged by rocking levers
3. (in a piano) the mechanism that allows the hammer to clear the string after striking, so that the string can vibrate
4. an overflow channel
5. rare.
   an act or means of escaping

Word History and Origins

Origin of escapement¹

1730–40; escape + -ment (calque of French échappement

Example Sentences

But it contained neither the tourbillon cage that surrounds the watch’s oscillating escapement nor the 30 percent additional power required to fuel it.

From New York Times

The natural coho stock in the Queets is currently under a rebuilding plan through the Pacific Fisheries Management Council after being designated “overfished” in 2018 when spawning escapement levels dropped below the minimum threshold.

From Seattle Times

Mere weeks after the escapement, Cooke’s salmon were found as far south as Tacoma and as far north as Vancouver Island.

From Seattle Times

That’s due to concerns over a Queets River coho return not expected to reach escapement goals that are set to ensure sustainable runs in the future.

From Seattle Times

Even after this, he thought up an idea for an escapement for a pendulum clock, which he described to his son Vincenzio, who actually built such a clock after Galileo died.

From Literature