escapement

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 1), 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.

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