collet

[ kol-it ]

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

, col·let·ed, col·let·ing.

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

collet

/ 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

verb

1. tr jewellery to mount in a collet

Word History and Origins

Origin of collet¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of collet¹

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

Example Sentences

From the plastic collet of the needle came a bloody froth.

From Washington Post

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 Literature

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

From Washington Post

Musk tweeted that the lockout collet on one of the rocket’s four legs didn’t latch, causing it to tip over after landing.

From Washington Times

The cylinder also carries a collet adapted for recessed plates so as to receive square or hexagon nuts of different sizes for tapping purposes, the taps being held in the rotating chuck.

From Project Gutenberg