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 neck band 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 clayt, ane wt blak silk.
1584. T. Hudson, Judith, IV. in Sylvester’s Du Bartas (1621), 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. Jewelry. The circle or flange in a ring in which the stone is set; also the setting for a precious stone in a piece of jewelry.
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), 426–7. The Imperial Crown of Scotland is … adorned with Twenty-two 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 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, trans. 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. Prisc. Wakefield, Mental Improv. (1800), 73. 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.
ǁ 5. Gunnery. (See quot.)
1823. Crabbe, 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.
