universal sorter

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

Noun

 * 1)  A mechanism whereby uncountable nouns are made countable and abstract.

Usage notes
A related semantic mechanism, the, also creates countable nouns. The universal sorter mechanism creates an (e.g. wines in the sense of "kinds of wine"); the universal packager can indicate a concrete noun (e.g. coffees in the sense of "cups of coffee").