| collet [käl·ǝt] DESIGN ENGINEERING A split, coned sleeve to hold small, circular tools or work in the nose of a lathe or other type of machine. ENGINEERING 1. The glass neck remaining on a bottle after it is taken off the glass-blowing iron. 2. Pieces of glass, ordinarily discarded, that are added to a batch of glass. Also spelled cullet. HOROLOGY A small, friction-tight collar on a balance staff which holds the inner end of a balance spring. LAPIDARY The small, horizontal face at the bottom of a brilliant-cut gemstone. |