Is 'tapspring' a word?

Or 'tap spring' or 'tap-spring.'

I thought that a body of running water like a brook but it seems, at most, a nonsense word.

 

Not according to Merriam-Webster Online.

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/tap-spring
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/tapspring
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/tap_spring

 

That's why I asked.

Regressing myself, I think I saw, sometime in my youth, 'tapspring' defined as a 'main spring' (mainspring) and took that to mean a primary stream that branches to secondary streams. Now I see it probably is equivalent to 'gizmo.'

Just wondering if others have encountered the term.

 

Hmmm...'tapstream' is also not a word but is in usage nonetheless.

 

Tapspring definitely sounds like a legitimate word.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it is not used by people somewhere. It could just be a matter of time before it makes into the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

 

Before it 'gazinta' the dictionary.

 

Google comes up with nothing for "tapspring" when queried for a definition. Nor does it for "tap spring."

 

I got nothing from the OED.
Jack

 

I come up with a Taiwanese company with a website last updated in 2003.

 

Nor I, from The Free Dictionary.

 

Same

Folks,
The tapspring is over the underspring, right near the behindspring.

 

Re: Same

I'm not undersprung. My butt is dragging because I'm old.

 

Same

Me too, so I wind the behindspring to get the upfrontspring movin. Cannot depend on the tapspring. Reynolds is gonna find, at her age, the tapspring starts s l o w i n..... d o ........