Message-ID: <6559886.1075858927658.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 02:03:00 -0700 (PDT) From: wsmith@wordsmith.org To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bort Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-From: Wordsmith X-To: linguaphile X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \SSCOTT5 (Non-Privileged)\Scott, Susan M.\Wordsmith X-Origin: Scott-S X-FileName: SSCOTT5 (Non-Privileged).pst bort (bort) noun Poor-quality diamond, or diamond fragment, used as an industrial abrasive, as in grinding wheel. [Possibly metathetic variation of brot, from Old English gebrot, fragment.] "Steve Issod ... estimated that 5 percent of the company's production is larger diamonds, with some over 20 carats and some fancy colors; 20-25 percent gem quality; 60 percent near-gem quality; and the remainder bort utilized for industrial purposes." Juina Mining Corp. Will Begin Operation of Its Diamond Mining Facility, Business Wire (New York), Mar 5, 1999. IT'S TODAY: Apr 18, 2001 at 8 PM EDT (GMT -4), an online chat with Joseph Pickett, Executive Editor of the American Heritage Dictionary, on the topic of "The History of English." Join us at http://wordsmith.org/chat This week's theme: words formed by metathesis or transposing letters. ............................................................................ To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven. -Karen Sunde, playwright Feeling information overload? Sign off a few mailing lists. If you wish to unsubscribe from AWAD, send a blank message to wsmith@wordsmith.org with the word unsubscribe in the subject line of your message. Of course, we'd rather you stay with us. After all, it is only a `word' a day. (-: Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/bort.wav http://wordsmith.org/words/bort.ram