timepiecen.
/ˈtʌɪmpiːs/, U.S. /ˈtaɪmˌpis/ An instrument for measuring or indicating the passage of time.From the early 19th cent. most commonly used to refer to a watch or clock for domestic use. In technical contexts sometimes used more narrowly (see quot. 1884).
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the world > time > instruments for measuring time > [noun] > instrument or timepiece
horologea1382
dial1410
horology1509
horologiuma1661
timekeeper1674
timepiece1708
time machine1870
digital1975
1708 Brit. Apollo 4–6 Aug. I saw on a Dial at Hackney, Post Voluptatem Misericordia. And Phœbus more immediately presiding over those Time-Pieces, I may the more reasonably hope for [etc.].
1741 London Daily Post 20 Apr. (advt.) Valuable Curiosities, consisting of all Manner of Houshold Furniture,..several Time Pieces, Astronomical and Musical Clocks, [etc.].
1762 Gentleman's Mag. Aug. 388/1 Mr Harrison and son..laid before the board the improvements made in their time-piece.
1823 Mechanic's Mag. No. 17. 269 What kind of time piece is best adapted for the pocket.
1867 G. F. Chambers Descr. Astron. vii. viii. 704 An ordinary good parlour time-piece..will meet all the requirements of the amateur.
1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 264 Any timekeeper above the size of a watch which does not strike at the hours is called a timepiece.
1929 Pop. Mech. Nov. 793/1 This compares with the best clocks of late years, but a still more accurate timepiece has been developed in England.
2002 Chicago Tribune 8 Apr. i. 7/1 I appreciate daylight-saving because each first Sunday in April I'm given the opportunity to take inventory of all the timepieces in our house.
2009 P. Glennie & N. Thrift Shaping Day ix. 342 Most timepieces were rudimentary and/or imprecise, such as sundials, or weight-driven clocks.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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