escape wheel

noun Horology.

a toothed wheel for regulating a going train to which it is geared, engaging intermittently with the pallets of a pendulum or balance mechanism in such a way as to cause the mechanism to oscillate rhythmically, and in so doing free the going train for part of each oscillation.
Also called scape wheel.

Origin of escape wheel

First recorded in 1880–85

Words nearby escape wheel

escape rhythm, escape road, escape routine, escape shaft, escape velocity, escape wheel, escaped ventricular contraction, escapee, escapement, escapement error, escapeway

Example sentences from the Web for escape wheel

British Dictionary definitions for escape wheel

escape wheel

noun

horology a toothed wheel that engages intermittently with a balance wheel or pendulum, causing the mechanism to oscillate and thereby moving the hands of a clock or watch Also called: scapewheel