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swarf

American

[swawrf] / swɔrf /

noun

an accumulation of fine particles of metal or abrasive cut or ground from work by a machine tool or grinder.

swarf British

/ swɑːf, swɔːf /

noun

material removed by cutting or grinding tools in the machining of metals, stone, etc
radioactive metal waste from a nuclear power station
small fragments of disintegrating spacecraft, orbiting the earth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of swarf

1560–70; < Old Norse svarf, akin to sverfa to file, or continuing Old English geswearf, gesweorf

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Gude preserve us! my faither didna ken where he was stan'in—didna ken what he was doing; an', though he kept his feet, he was just in a kind o' swarf, like.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 7 by Various

His eldritch look gars us swarf wi’ fear; An’ the feint a ane will the house come near, If they think but o’ Aiken-drum.

From Spare Hours by Brown, John

"Three times have I warded off a swarf," said Kitty.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 17 by Wilson, John Mackay

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023