swarf
The waste chips or shavings from an abrasive activity, such as metalworking, a saw…The waste chips or shavings from an abrasive activity, such as metalworking, a saw cutting wood, or the use of a grindstone or whetstone.
» I have to buy some swarfs.
Meaning
3 senses(uncountable)The waste chips or shavings from an abrasive activity, such as metalworking, a saw cutting wood, or the use of a grindstone or whetstone.
Späne
стру́жкаstruzhka
(countable)A particular waste chip or shaving.
Span
(obsolete)A faint or swoon.
Examples
2 sentencesI have to buy some swarfs.
This is a swarf.
Translations
4 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
Origin
From Middle English *swarf, *swerf, from Old English ġeswearf, ġesweorf (“iron filings; ruFrom Middle English *swarf, *swerf, from Old English ġeswearf, ġesweorf (“iron filings; rust”) and/or Old Norse svarf (“metallic dust”), both from Proto-Germanic *swarbą (“that which is rubbed off; shavings”), from Proto-Germanic *swerbaną (“to mop, wipe; to rub off”); see further at swerve. The word is cognate to Old English sweorfan (“to rub, scour; to file”).
From Middle English swarven, swerven (“to go; to deviate, turn aside; to stagger, be unsteady; to swerve”), from Old English sweorfan (“to wipe; to polish; to rub, scour; to file”), from Proto-Germanic *swerbaną (“to mop, wipe; to rub off”). The word is cognate to Middle Dutch swerven (“to rove; to stray”) (whence Dutch zwerven (“to roam”)), Low German swarven (“to rove; to stray; to riot”), Old Norse svarfa (“to sweep; to be agitated, upset”), Norwegian svarva (“to agitate”), sverva (“to whirl”). See swerve.
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Forms
plural: swarfsSynonyms
1 synonymsWord family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable