bort

American  

[bawrt] / bɔrt /

Or boart,

noun

1. low-quality diamond, in granular aggregate or small fragments, valuable only in crushed or powdered form, especially for industrial use as an abrasive.

---

bort British  

/ bɔːt, bɔːts /

noun

1. an inferior grade of diamond used for cutting and drilling or, in powdered form, as an industrial abrasive

---

Other Word Forms

• borty adjective

Etymology

Origin of bort

1615–25; apparently metathetic variant of *brot ( Old English gebrot fragment); akin to Middle English brotel brittle, Old Norse brot fragment

Example Sentences

“When my father said daay bort, pronouncing the word ‘deport’ by breaking it into syllables that creaked like a door opening and shutting,” she writes, “I felt its decree.”

From New York Times • May 14, 2023

It is tempting to wonder whether some curious misprints – "luther" for either; "bort" for both – constitute a sly joke about our own language-processing abilities.

From The Guardian • Aug. 20, 2010

Vell, sir, I broke mine jaws and leg, but managed to get alongside again, and was hauled on bort.

From Los Gringos Or, An Inside View of Mexico and California, with Wanderings in Peru, Chili, and Polynesia by Wise, H. A. (Henry Augustus)

This bort is crushed in steel mortars to form diamond powder, which is largely used in lapidaries’ work.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 3 "Borgia, Lucrezia" to "Bradford, John" by Various

O barn af Finland, byt ej bort Din ädla fosterjord.

From Through Finland in Carts by Alec-Tweedie, Mrs. (Ethel)

Related Words

• gem
• jewel
• rhinestone