initialsort
nounUK /ɪˈnɪʃəl sɔːt/
US /ɪˈnɪʃəl sɔːrt/
A first sorting that puts things in order before you sort them again.
The initialsort put all the red blocks together before we sorted them by size.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. In computing, a first pass that arranges data roughly before a final, more exact sort.
The program does an initialsort to group records by first letter, then sorts each group fully.
3. The very first time you organize a collection of items into groups.
Our initialsort of the library books separated fiction from nonfiction.
4. A quick early arrangement used as a starting point for later changes.
The initialsort of the cards was just to see which ones were missing.