View synonyms for

sorting

[ sawr-ting ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Geology.

the process by which sedimentary particles become separated according to some particular characteristic, as size or shape.

sorting

The process by which sediment particles that have a certain characteristic, such as a given shape or grain size, are separated from other associated particles by an active agent of transportation, such as wind, a stream, or a glacier.
A measure of the degree to which this process has occurred within a body of sediment. Wind-blown sediments are usually well-sorted because only a small range of grain sizes can be lifted by a particular wind velocity. Glacially derived sediments are usually poorly sorted because of the great range of particle sizes that are picked up by a moving glacier.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of sorting¹

sort + -ing ¹

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I have been sorting through the things, choosing what I’m going to keep for myself, what I’m going to give away.

From

Other mandarins rolled on for sorting and were boxed to be sold under the Fruit World brand.

From

It’s there when everybody coos at Han’s white cat making a surprise appearance — and even in how quickly they offer to lip-read and interpret Gladstone’s comments while she’s sorting out her mute button.

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Janae, 48, is the "facilitator" of the pair, and spends much of the time sorting the pieces for Abigail to complete.

From

When Apollo comes to live with Iris, she’s in the middle of sorting through Walter’s expansive unpublished writing for a posthumous novel.

From

Related Words

sortilege sorting tracks

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