▪ I. collet, n.1
(ˈkɒlɪt)
Also 6–7 colet(t, collat(t, -ett.
[a. F. collet, dim. of col neck:—L. collum. In sense 4 prob. directly ad. It. colletto.]
† 1. The neckband of a garment; a collar or band worn round the neck; a necklet. Obs.
| 1561 in Thomson Inventories (1815) 148 (Jam.) Item, ane collet of aurange hew quharin is bandis of claith of gold twa finger braid. 1578 Inv. in Nugæ Derelictæ (1880) xii. 4 Tua collattis sewit of holene clay{supt}. ane w{supt} blak silk. 1584 Hudson Judith in Sylvester's Du Bartas (1620) 723 And through her collet she shewd her snowie brest. 1640–4 in Rushw. Hist. Coll. iii. (1692) I. 745, I understand..all the Jewels are brought here again to be pawned, and amongst them the great Collet of Rubies fetch'd from Hamb. |
2. An encompassing band or ring; in various technical uses, as, a ring, collar, or flange on a rod or spindle, a circular metal lining to a hole, a circular ferrule or socket, etc. Cf. collar 11. Also attrib.
| c 1530 in Gutch Coll. Cur. II. 305 A Staffe to a Crosse of silver withe twoo knoppes gilte and a loose Collet. 1670 Will of E. Lynde (Somerset Ho.), Silver collett can. 1694 Narborough Acc. sev. late Voy. (1711) ii. 161 The Wooden Stick is fastened within the Iron Collet or Funnel of the Harpoon, with Packthread wound all about the Iron. 1696 Derham Artificial Clockm. 3 The Collet, or piece of brass soldered on the Arbor, or Spindle, on which the Wheel is rivetted. 1797 Encycl. Brit. II. 585/2 On this pin are two moveable collets. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 324/2 Its inmost coil running through and bent round into the hole of a collet or small collar placed over the staff. 1879 Unif. Reg. in Navy List July 1882 497/2 For ventilation, the base to be perforated with four holes, and a gilt collet inserted in the crown of the helmet. 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockm. 22 The spring should start away from the collet hole with an easy curve. |
3. Jewellery. The circle or flange in a ring in which the stone is set; also the setting for a precious stone in a piece of jewellery.
| 1528 MS. List of Jewelry (P.R.O.), A pawnce with ij hanging perles with a colett, that a balasse stood in. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Annulus, Pala annuli, the brode place where the stone is set: the colet. 1603 Holland Plutarch's Mor. 934 Others write, that he carried a strong poison within the collet of his signet. 1708 J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. ii. iii. x. (1743) 426 The imperial crown of Scotland..is adorned with 22 large precious stones, viz. topazes, amethysts, garnets, etc. in collets of gold of various forms. 1784 Wesley Nat. Phil. i. i. §25 It is set in the forepart of the vitreous humour, like a diamond in its collet. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 230 He chanced to turn the collet of the ring towards the inner side of his hand. |
b. fig.
| 1607 Tourneur Rev. Trag. i. ii. Wks. 1878 II. 21 When his worne selfe..Had dropt out of the Collet into th' Graue. 1684 R. Waller Nat. Exper. Pref., That these rare Gems, as they are but loosly set in the Mind..so for a time they fall out of their Collets. 1751 Earl of Orrery Remarks Swift ii. (R.), Surely a diamond of so much lustre [Stella] might have been..fixed within the collet of matrimony. |
† 4. Glass-blowing. The neck or portion of glass left on the end of the blowing-iron after the removal of the finished article. Obs. Hence cullet q.v.
| 1662 Merret tr. Neri's Art of Glass 277 Necks of the Glass, are also call'd Collets. 1753 Chambers Cycl. Supp., Collet, in the glass trade, that part of a glass vessel, which in the making, sticks to the hollow iron by which the metal is first taken out of the melting pot. This is broken off before the vessel is fashioned, and is never seen in the least mark, when finished..These they throw together, and afterwards grind them down, and put into the green glass metal, for the purest green glass. 1797 P. Wakefield Mental Improv. (1801) I. 143 He delivers it to the master workman to break off the collet, which is a little piece that sticks to the iron. 1847 in Craig; and in mod. Dicts. |
‖ 5. Gunnery. (See quot.)
| 1823 Crabb Technol. Dict., Collet, French for that part of a cannon which is between the astragal and the muzzle. |
| In mod. Eng. Dicts. |
6. Bot. The point where the stem and the root of a plant are united; the collar.
| 1847 in Craig; and in mod. Dicts. |
▪ II. collet, n.2
(ˈkɒlɪt)
[An earlier form of culet q.v., the Fr. equivalent being culasse, deriv. of cul bottom; app. confounded with collet n.1 sense 3.]
The horizontal base of a diamond when cut as a brilliant; also called culet.
| 1675 Lond. Gaz. 1050/4 Lost..a short hart Diamond, weighing about 18 Grains..4 Rights and the Collet [printed coller] pollished, the Stone being about half made. 1761 Wilson in Phil. Trans. LII. 444 At the table surface, and at the collet, or opposite surface. 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockm. 214 The under surface is also cut in facets and terminates nearly in a point called the collet or culette. |
▪ III. collet, v.
(ˈkɒlɪt)
[f. collet n.]
1. To set in a collet. Hence ˈcolleting vbl. n.
| 1609 R. Armin Ital. Taylor (1880) 160 And in his foyle so louely set, Faire collited in Gold. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 350/2 Colletting.—Little fangs or lips are left in the metal, and the gem being inserted between them, they are bent over so as to enfold it. |
2. To provide with a collet or collar.
| 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockm. 158 That the main spring may not be injuriously contracted the part of the barrel arbor to which it is attached is enlarged or colleted. |
▪ IV. collet
var. of colet Obs., acolyte; obs. f. collect n.; dial. corruption of collard.