A mechanism consisting in general of an escape wheel and an anchor, used especially in timepieces to control movement of the wheel and to provide periodic energy impulses to a pendulum or balance.
A mechanism, as in a typewriter, that controls the lateral movement of the carriage.
Cyl"in*der\ (s?l"?n-d?r), n. [F. cylindre, OF. cilindre, L. cylindrus, fr. Gr. ky`lindros, fr. kyli`ndein, kyli`ein, to roll. Cf. Calender the machine.]1. (Geom.) (a) A solid body which may be generated by the rotation of a parallelogram round one its sides; or a body of rollerlike form, of which the longitudinal section is oblong, and the cross section is circular. (b) The space inclosed by any cylindrical surface. The space may be limited or unlimited in length. 2. Any hollow body of cylindrical form, as: (a) The chamber of a steam engine in which the piston is moved by the force of steam. (b) The barrel of an air or other pump. (c) (Print.) The revolving platen or bed which produces the impression or carries the type in a cylinder press. (d) The bore of a gun; the turning chambered breech of a revolver. 3. The revolving square prism carrying the cards in a Jacquard loom. Cylinder axis. (Anat.) See Axis cylinder, under Axis. Cylinder engine (Paper Making), a machine in which a cylinder takes up the pulp and delivers it in a continuous sheet to the dryers. Cylinder escapement. See Escapement. Cylinder glass. See Glass. Cylinder mill. See Roller mill. Cylinder press. See Press.
Dead"beat`\, a. (Physics) Making a beat without recoil; giving indications by a single beat or excursion; -- said of galvanometers and other instruments in which the needle or index moves to the extent of its deflection and stops with little or no further oscillation. Deadbeat escapement. See under Escapement.
De*tached"\, a. Separate; unconnected, or imperfectly connected; as, detached parcels. "Extensive and detached empire." --Burke. Detached escapement. See Escapement.
Du"plex\, a. [L., fr. duo two + plicare to fold. See Two, and Complex.] Double; twofold. Duplex escapement, a peculiar kind of watch escapement, in which the scape-wheel has two sets of teeth. See Escapement. Duplex lathe, one for turning off, screwing, and surfacing, by means of two cutting tools, on opposite sides of the piece operated upon. Duplex pumping engine, a steam pump in which two steam cylinders are placed side by side, one operating the valves of the other. Duplex querela [L., double complaint] (Eccl. Law), a complaint in the nature of an appeal from the ordinary to his immediate superior, as from a bishop to an archbishop. --Mozley & W. Duplex telegraphy, a system of telegraphy for sending two messages over the same wire simultaneously. Duplex watch, one with a duplex escapement.
Es*cape"ment\, n. [Cf. F. ['e]chappement. See Escape.]1. The act of escaping; escape. [R.] 2. Way of escape; vent. [R.] An escapement for youthful high spirits. --G. Eliot. 3. The contrivance in a timepiece which connects the train of wheel work with the pendulum or balance, giving to the latter the impulse by which it is kept in vibration; -- so called because it allows a tooth to escape from a pallet at each vibration. Note: Escapements are of several kinds, as the vertical, or verge, or crown, escapement, formerly used in watches, in which two pallets on the balance arbor engage with a crown wheel; the anchor escapement, in which an anchor-shaped piece carries the pallets; -- used in common clocks (both are called recoil escapements, from the recoil of the escape wheel at each vibration); the cylinder escapement, having an open-sided hollow cylinder on the balance arbor to control the escape wheel; the duplex escapement, having two sets of teeth on the wheel; the lever escapement, which is a kind of detached escapement, because the pallets are on a lever so arranged that the balance which vibrates it is detached during the greater part of its vibration and thus swings more freely; the detent escapement, used in chronometers; the remontoir escapement, in which the escape wheel is driven by an independent spring or weight wound up at intervals by the clock train, -- sometimes used in astronomical clocks. When the shape of an escape-wheel tooth is such that it falls dead on the pallet without recoil, it forms a deadbeat escapement.
Le"ver\ (l[=e]"v[~e]r or l[e^]v"[~e]r; 277), n. [OE. levour, OF. leveor, prop., a lifter, fr. F. lever to raise, L. levare; akin to levis light in weight, E. levity, and perh. to E. light not heavy: cf. F. levier. Cf. Alleviate, Elevate, Leaven, Legerdemain, Levee, Levy, n.]1. (Mech.) A rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (the fulcrum), and in which are two or more other points where forces are applied; -- used for transmitting and modifying force and motion. Specif., a bar of metal, wood, or other rigid substance, used to exert a pressure, or sustain a weight, at one point of its length, by receiving a force or power at a second, and turning at a third on a fixed point called a fulcrum. It is usually named as the first of the six mechanical powers, and is of three kinds, according as either the fulcrum F, the weight W, or the power P, respectively, is situated between the other two, as in the figures. 2. (Mach.) (a) A bar, as a capstan bar, applied to a rotatory piece to turn it. (b) An arm on a rock shaft, to give motion to the shaft or to obtain motion from it. Compound lever, a machine consisting of two or more levers acting upon each other. Lever escapement. See Escapement. Lever jack. See Jack, n., 5. Lever watch, a watch having a vibrating lever to connect the action of the escape wheel with that of the balance. Universal lever, a machine formed by a combination of a lever with the wheel and axle, in such a manner as to convert the reciprocating motion of the lever into a continued rectilinear motion of some body to which the power is applied.
Re*coil"\, n. 1. A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking; as, the recoil of nature, or of the blood. 2. The state or condition of having recoiled. The recoil from formalism is skepticism. --F. W. Robertson. 3. Specifically, the reaction or rebounding of a firearm when discharged. Recoil dynamometer (Gunnery), an instrument for measuring the force of the recoil of a firearm. Recoil escapement See the Note under Escapement.
Verge\, n. [F. verge, L. virga; perhaps akin to E. wisp.]1. A rod or staff, carried as an emblem of authority; as, the verge, carried before a dean. 2. The stick or wand with which persons were formerly admitted tenants, they holding it in the hand, and swearing fealty to the lord. Such tenants were called tenants by the verge. [Eng.] 3. (Eng. Law) The compass of the court of Marshalsea and the Palace court, within which the lord steward and the marshal of the king's household had special jurisdiction; -- so called from the verge, or staff, which the marshal bore. 4. A virgate; a yardland. [Obs.] 5. A border, limit, or boundary of a space; an edge, margin, or brink of something definite in extent. Even though we go to the extreme verge of possibility to invent a supposition favorable to it, the theory . . . implies an absurdity. --J. S. Mill. But on the horizon's verge descried, Hangs, touched with light, one snowy sail. --M. Arnold. 6. A circumference; a circle; a ring. The inclusive verge Of golden metal that must round my brow. --Shak. 7. (Arch.) (a) The shaft of a column, or a small ornamental shaft. --Oxf. Gloss. (b) The edge of the tiling projecting over the gable of a roof. --Encyc. Brit. 8. (Horol.) The spindle of a watch balance, especially one with pallets, as in the old vertical escapement. See under Escapement. 9. (Hort.) (a) The edge or outside of a bed or border. (b) A slip of grass adjoining gravel walks, and dividing them from the borders in a parterre. 10. The penis. 11. (Zo["o]l.) The external male organ of certain mollusks, worms, etc. See Illustration in Appendix. Syn: Border; edge; rim; brim; margin; brink.
Watch\ (w[o^]ch), n. [OE. wacche, AS. w[ae]cce, fr. wacian to wake; akin to D. wacht, waak, G. wacht, wache. [root]134. See Wake, v. i. ]1. The act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; wakeful, vigilant, or constantly observant attention; close observation; guard; preservative or preventive vigilance; formerly, a watching or guarding by night. Shepherds keeping watch by night. --Milton. All the long night their mournful watch they keep. --Addison. Note: Watch was formerly distinguished from ward, the former signifying a watching or guarding by night, and the latter a watching, guarding, or protecting by day Hence, they were not unfrequently used together, especially in the phrase to keep watch and ward, to denote continuous and uninterrupted vigilance or protection, or both watching and guarding. This distinction is now rarely recognized, watch being used to signify a watching or guarding both by night and by day, and ward, which is now rarely used, having simply the meaning of guard, or protection, without reference to time. Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward. --Spenser. Ward, guard, or custodia, is chiefly applied to the daytime, in order to apprehend rioters, and robbers on the highway . . . Watch, is properly applicable to the night only, . . . and it begins when ward ends, and ends when that begins. --Blackstone. 2. One who watches, or those who watch; a watchman, or a body of watchmen; a sentry; a guard. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as ye can. --Matt. xxvii. 65. 3. The post or office of a watchman; also, the place where a watchman is posted, or where a guard is kept. He upbraids Iago, that he made him Brave me upon the watch. --Shak. 4. The period of the night during which a person does duty as a sentinel, or guard; the time from the placing of a sentinel till his relief; hence, a division of the night. I did stand my watch upon the hill. --Shak. Might we but hear . . . Or whistle from the lodge, or village cock Count the night watches to his feathery dames. --Milton. 5. A small timepiece, or chronometer, to be carried about the person, the machinery of which is moved by a spring. Note: Watches are often distinguished by the kind of escapement used, as an anchor watch, a lever watch, a chronometer watch, etc. (see the Note under Escapement, n., 3); also, by the kind of case, as a gold or silver watch, an open-faced watch, a hunting watch, or hunter, etc. 6. (Naut.) (a) An allotted portion of time, usually four hour for standing watch, or being on deck ready for duty. Cf. Dogwatch. (b) That part, usually one half, of the officers and crew, who together attend to the working of a vessel for an allotted time, usually four hours. The watches are designated as the port watch, and the starboard watch. Anchor watch (Naut.), a detail of one or more men who keep watch on deck when a vessel is at anchor. To be on the watch, to be looking steadily for some event. Watch and ward (Law), the charge or care of certain officers to keep a watch by night and a guard by day in towns, cities, and other districts, for the preservation of the public peace. --Wharton. --Burrill. Watch and watch (Naut.), the regular alternation in being on watch and off watch of the two watches into which a ship's crew is commonly divided. Watch barrel, the brass box in a watch, containing the mainspring. Watch bell (Naut.), a bell struck when the half-hour glass is run out, or at the end of each half hour. --Craig. Watch bill (Naut.), a list of the officers and crew of a ship as divided into watches, with their stations. --Totten. Watch case, the case, or outside covering, of a watch; also, a case for holding a watch, or in which it is kept. Watch chain. Same as watch guard, below. Watch clock, a watchman's clock; see under Watchman. Watch fire, a fire lighted at night, as a signal, or for the use of a watch or guard. Watch glass. (a) A concavo-convex glass for covering the face, or dial, of a watch; -- also called watch crystal. (b) (Naut.) A half-hour glass used to measure the time of a watch on deck. Watch guard, a chain or cord by which a watch is attached to the person. Watch gun (Naut.), a gun sometimes fired on shipboard at 8 p. m., when the night watch begins. Watch light, a low-burning lamp used by watchers at night; formerly, a candle having a rush wick. Watch night, The last night of the year; -- so called by the Methodists, Moravians, and others, who observe it by holding religious meetings lasting until after midnight. Watch paper, an old-fashioned ornament for the inside of a watch case, made of paper cut in some fanciful design, as a vase with flowers, etc. Watch tackle (Naut.), a small, handy purchase, consisting of a tailed double block, and a single block with a hook.
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