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.

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bort British  

/ bɔːt, bɔːts /

noun

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

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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

Much of the bort consists of irregular aggregates of imperfect crystals.

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

So this mornin we drest up in our Sunday-skule cloes, and went down town to the property shop, and each bort ourselves a false mustash and canes.

From The Bad Boy At Home And His Experiences In Trying To Become An Editor - 1885 by Victor, Metta Victoria Fuller

For rock drills, and revolving saws for stone cutting, either diamond, bort or carbonado is employed, set in steel tubes, disks or bands.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 4 "Diameter" to "Dinarchus" by Various

Related Words

• gem
• jewel
• rhinestone