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

Here’s help in sorting out what the expiration of the enhanced subsidies for insurance provided under the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, means in the Golden State.

From Los Angeles Times

The emotional labor of sorting through a loved one’s possessions and, especially, their paperwork is easy to overlook.

From MarketWatch

The biggest tasks that you can’t set up ahead of time are closing out your credit cards, dealing with hospital billing if you were ill before you died and sorting out taxes.

From MarketWatch

In a warehouse on an industrial estate a group of volunteers are sorting through items donated to a Dorset baby bank.

From BBC

Sitting in the middle of the sorting floor is a lone basket reserved for Grade AA durians, the handsomest of the lot.

From BBC

Related Words

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