Scaife

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A flat metal disc or lap on which gemstones, especially diamonds, are ground and polished by a lapidary
2. A polishing tool, usually a flat iron plate charged with abrasive powder, used by gem cutters to smooth stones
3. An iron lap that a diamond cutter uses with abrasive to grind and polish the facets of a precious stone

Etymology: "Scaife" is a Scottish and northern English word for a flat-bladed tool or a sheet of metal used for scraping, and it has an unusual story for something so rarely seen. Its roots lie in Old Norse "skeifr", meaning "awry" or "difficult", a word that carried the sense of something twisted or askew. That notion of being bent out of true passed into English as a name for the tool, which was used to scrape or pare a surface. As a verb, "scaife" describes the action of working with that tool, scraping or paring something smooth. The noun and verb share one origin, so the tool and the action take their names from the same sense of something bent or set at an angle.