collet

American  

[kol-it] / ˈkɒl ɪt /

noun

collets plural

1. a collar or enclosing band.

2. the enclosing rim within which a jewel is set.

3. 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.

4. Horology. the tiny collar that supports the inner terminal of a hairspring.

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verb (used with object)

colleted, colleting

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

collet British  

/ ˈkɒlɪt /

noun

1. (in a jewellery setting) a band or coronet-shaped claw that holds an individual stone

2. 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

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

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verb

1. (tr) jewellery to mount in a collet

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• collets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of collet

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

collet collets colleting

He pulled the bolt and bored out the collet with a hand drill and resleeved it with a section of pipe he’d cut to length with a hacksaw.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

The old "table diamonds," once so highly prized, may be described as having the table and collet greatly enlarged at the expense of the beasil and pavilion.

From Stories about Famous Precious Stones by Orpen, Mrs Goddard

This will cause the pinning point at collet to be shifted from "A" to "B" and bring it that much nearer to the horizontal line "C."

From Rules and Practice for Adjusting Watches by Kleinlein, Walter J.

When the spring develops to the right from collet as shown in Fig.

From Rules and Practice for Adjusting Watches by Kleinlein, Walter J.

When it is perfectly true in the round and the balance is spinning in one direction the coils will seem to be whirling into a hole of which the collet is the center.

From Rules and Practice for Adjusting Watches by Kleinlein, Walter J.

I have these weird lumps — flanges, or collets — behind my ears.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 8, 2017

To make one costume seem like many, women are buying in vast quantities dickies, jabots, fichus, gilets, ruches, berthas, bibs, piccadillies, collets, modesties and ruffs.

From Time Magazine Archive

He set jewels, and adorned them with marvellous collets and with little figures so well wrought, and at times so bizarre and fantastic that it is not possible to imagine anything finer or better.

From Lives of the most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects Vol 10 (of 10) Bronzino to Vasari, & General Index. by Vasari, Giorgio

The shanks of the collets are secured in the cylindrical head by means of either a bolt and key or by a set-screw.

From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua

To this may be added an endless variety of small bench tools, micrometers, protractors, arbors, collets, box tools and scrapers.

From Practical Mechanics for Boys by Zerbe, James Slough

The broken lines illustrate a condition after colleting and before truing.

From Rules and Practice for Adjusting Watches by Kleinlein, Walter J.