Limas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to a type of elongated file used for smoothing or shaping surfaces in metalworking or woodworking ; a plural form indicating multiple instances of this tool ; alternatively, a reference to slender cuts or grooves made with such tools in various crafts
2. Used to describe slender, tapered tools designed for filing and refining materials ; denoting the presence of several such tools collectively ; also applied to the grooves or scores left behind by these instruments in different crafts and trades
3. A designation for narrow abrasive tools employed in precision shaping or finishing of objects ; indicating more than one of these implements in use ; or referring to the marks and incisions produced by them on workpieces in artistic or industrial contexts

Etymology: "Limas" is the plural of "lima," a fine metal file, and the singular is the older and more interesting word. The name is a clipped form of "lima bean" reversed in logic: the file is named for the city of Lima, Peru, through a shared origin with that place name. The noun is a doublet of the city's name, meaning the two words descend from the same source but took different routes into English and Spanish usage. Because the word is a plural, it refers to a set of such files, which in this sense is the form most used in trade and toolmaking. The singular "lima" is what the source identifies as the ellipsis of "lima bean," so the bean came first in the name's shortening rather than the file.

Synonyms: beans, legumes, pulses, edible beans, butter beans