Definition

Noun: 1. A hard, granular rock used as an abrasive: Emery rock is a naturally occurring rock or a manufactured mixture primarily composed of the mineral corundum (aluminum oxide) and other minerals like magnetite or hematite. It is valued for its extreme hardness and is crushed into powder or bonded into solid forms for grinding, smoothing, and polishing hard materials.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The craftsman used a wheel made of emery rock to sharpen the old tools.
  • Before polishing, the gemstone was shaped with a coarse emery rock abrasive.
  • This type of emery rock is often bonded with clay to form grinding stones.

Advanced Usage

• As a compound/modifier: The term "emery rock" itself can function as a compound noun modifying other words to specify the type of abrasive material.
  • An emery rock wheel is essential for heavy-duty metalworking.
  • They sourced high-quality emery rock powder for the industrial process.

Variants and Related Words

• Emery (noun): The granular form of this abrasive material, often as a powder or cloth.
  • She smoothed the edge of the glass with emery paper.
• Emery board (noun): A manicure tool made of a strip of cardboard coated with emery.
  • She filed her nails with a disposable emery board.
• Emery cloth (noun): Cloth coated with emery powder, used for polishing or smoothing.
  • Use emery cloth to remove the rust from the metal surface.

Synonyms

• Abrasive stone
• Grindstone (when specifically referring to a bonded wheel or stone made from it)
• Corundum rock (technically more precise, as corundum is the primary abrasive component)

Related Phrases/Compounds

• Emery wheel: A grinding wheel made from bonded emery rock or powder.
  • The machinist replaced the worn emery wheel on the bench grinder.
• Emery powder: The crushed, granular form of emery rock.
  • For the final polish, a very fine emery powder was used.

Noun

1. a mixture of emery dust and a binder; can be molded into grindstones