collet

[ kol-it ]

noun

a collar or enclosing band.
the enclosing rim within which a jewel is set.

a slotted cylindrical clamp inserted tightly into the tapered interior of a sleeve or chuck on a lathe to hold a cylindrical piece of work.
Horology. the tiny collar that supports the inner terminal of a hairspring.

verb (used with object),col·let·ed, col·let·ing.

to set (a gem or other stone) in a collet.

Origin of collet

1520–30; <French, equivalent to col neck (<Latin collum) + -et-et

Words Nearby collet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use collet in a sentence

At last, in late June it largely succeeded, with the only problem being the cursed collet, which turned out to be loose.
NASA's Giant Moon Rocket Set to Fly Soon | Jeffrey Kluger | July 22, 2022 | Time
You could go your entire life without thinking about a collet.
NASA's Giant Moon Rocket Set to Fly Soon | Jeffrey Kluger | July 22, 2022 | Time
In place of a stone the ring had a collet inscribed with the words "Jhesus Maria" with three crosses.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2) | Anatole France
Fig. 123 shows the cylinder removed from the balance collet.
Watch and Clock Escapements | Anonymous
The motion is steadied by the collet of the funnel f, being embraced by a brass busk.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines | Andrew Ure

On the collet (culasse) 24 other faces are made round a small table, which converts the culasse into a truncated pyramid.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines | Andrew Ure
He immediately hastened to collet, assembled all the troops he could muster, and put himself on the track of the Camisards.
The Huguenots in France | Samuel Smiles.

British Dictionary definitions for collet

collet

/ (ˈkɒlɪt) /

noun

(in a jewellery setting) a band or coronet-shaped claw that holds an individual stone
mechanical engineering an externally tapered sleeve made in two or more segments and used to grip a shaft passed through its centre when the sleeve is compressed by being inserted in a tapered hole

horology a small collar that supports the inner end of the hairspring

verb

(tr) jewellery to mount in a collet

Origin of collet

C16: from Old French: a little collar, from col neckband, neck, from Latin collum neck

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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