SORTER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sorter mean? 

• SORTER (noun)
  The noun SORTER has 2 senses:

1. a clerk who sorts things (as letters at the post office)

2. a machine for sorting things (such as punched cards or letters) into classes

  Familiarity information: SORTER used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SORTER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A clerk who sorts things (as letters at the post office)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("sorter" is a kind of...):

clerk (an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts))

Derivation:

sort (arrange or order by classes or categories)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A machine for sorting things (such as punched cards or letters) into classes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("sorter" is a kind of...):

machine (any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sorter"):

mailsorter (a sorter for sorting mail according to the address)

Derivation:

sort (arrange or order by classes or categories)

 Context examples 

Selection and deposition of individual cells of a particular phenotype from a mixed population into a separate tube or tissue culture plate by the use of a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) and fluorescently-labeled antibodies specific for surface molecules on the cells to be sorted.

(Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting, NCI Thesaurus)