English

Noun

swarf ‎(uncountable)

1. the waste chips or shavings from metalworking or a saw cutting wood
   • 1979, Cormac McCarthy, Suttree, Random House, p.95:

     Harrogate looked at the ground. A black swarf packed with small parts in a greasy mosaic.

2. the grit worn away by use of a grindstone or whetstone, being particles of the material being cut and of the cutting stone itself

Translations

Usage notes

Infrequently used after the 19th century; primarily in technical settings.

Related terms

• swerve

See also

• grind
• grinder
• grindstone
• grit
• hone
• metalwork
• smith
• whet
• whetstone

Verb

swarf ‎(third-person singular simple present swarfs, present participle swarfing, simple past and past participle swarfed)

1. (Scotland) To grow languid; to faint.
   • Sir Walter Scott

     to swarf for very hunger

References

1. ↑ “swarf” in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Online.