sorting

American  

[sawr-ting] / ˈsɔr tɪŋ /

noun

Geology.

1. the process by which sedimentary particles become separated according to some particular characteristic, as size or shape.

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sorting Scientific  

/ sôr′tĭng /

1. The process by which sediment particles that have a certain characteristic, such as a given shape or grain size, are separated from other associated particles by an active agent of transportation, such as wind, a stream, or a glacier.

2. A measure of the degree to which this process has occurred within a body of sediment. Wind-blown sediments are usually well-sorted because only a small range of grain sizes can be lifted by a particular wind velocity. Glacially derived sediments are usually poorly sorted because of the great range of particle sizes that are picked up by a moving glacier.

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Etymology

Origin of sorting

sort + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Adobe’s data suggests shoppers are already sorting their behaviors into System 1 and System 2 buying styles.

From The Wall Street Journal

The hard sorting occurs at admission; the grades mostly reflect that prior filtering.

From The Wall Street Journal

Even in wealthy countries, recycling rates are often abysmal because plastic products can be expensive to repurpose and sorting rates are low.

From Barron's

Sortation centers are meant to relieve stores of the burden of sorting packages for final delivery.

From The Wall Street Journal

During a game, competitors are given files of jumbled data and scenarios or 'cases' that require sorting, based on a question, within the quickest time.

From BBC

Related Words

• allocation
• allotment
• analysis
• arrangement
• coordination
• designation
• distribution
• grade
• regulation