em·er·y

[em-uh-ree, em-ree]
noun
a granular mineral substance consisting typically of corundum mixed with magnetite or hematite, used powdered, crushed, or consolidated for grinding and polishing.

Origin:
1475–85; < Middle French emeri, Old French esmeril < Vulgar Latin *smēriculum, equivalent to Medieval Greek smêri (for Greek smýris rubbing powder; akin to smear) + Latin -culum -cule2

Dictionary.com Unabridged

Em·er·y

[em-uh-ree, em-ree]
noun
a male or female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To emery
00:10
Emery is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Collins
World English Dictionary
emery (ˈɛmərɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a.  a hard greyish-black mineral consisting of corundum with either magnetite or haematite: used as an abrasive and polishing agent, esp as a coating on paper, cloth, etc. Formula: Al2O3
 b.  (as modifier): emery paper
 
[C15: from Old French esmeril, ultimately from Greek smuris powder for rubbing]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

emery
late 15c., from M.Fr. emeri, from O.Fr. emmery, from It. smeriglo, from V.L. *smyrilium, from Gk. smyris "abrasive powder," perhaps from a Sem. source.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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