balance wheel Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a wheel that regulates the rate of movement in a machine; especially a wheel oscillating against the hairspring of a timepiece to regulate its beat
    balance.

WordNet


Bal"ance wheel`
Definitions
  1. (Horology) (a) A wheel which regulates the beats or pulses of a watch or chronometer, answering to the pendulum of a clock; -- often called simply a balance. (b) A ratchet-shaped scape wheel, which in some watches is acted upon by the axis of the balance wheel proper (in those watches called a balance).
  2. (Mach.) A wheel which imparts regularity to the movements of any engine or machine; a fly wheel.

Webster 1913