Dictionary

universal sorter en · NOUN

Etymology

Compound of universal + sorter; first used in print in or around 1981 by Hendrik Bunt (see quote below) modeled on universal grinder.

Meanings

1. A mechanism whereby uncountable nouns are made countable and abstract.
   • The conceivability of this machine, that we might call the "Universal Sorter", indicates that in principle any "mass noun" can be used as a count noun. Of course, it is true that a "mass noun" like 'wine' undergoes a shift in meaning when used as a count noun... 1981, Hendrik Bunt, The formal semantics of mass terms, Amsterdam (dissertation), →OCLC, page 11:

Relateds

universal packager · universal grinder