dobbslc
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That last paragraph sounds like it came out of Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.You make an important point there.
If we think about English usage, words do not have any meaning at all outside of the context in which and (historical) time at which they are used. Hence, expecting a simple, context-free and history-free definition of a 'bolt' or 'screw' is to misunderstand how our language is used.
Way back when at the time of coachbuilding with wood, using metal things to fasten the wood together, the 'bolt' and 'screw' were clear cut. As mankind's use of materials developed, fasteners also changed in their application.
What does the OP hope to gain by any answer to the question? If I take an M6 x 50 long hexagon-head, fully threaded, put it through holes in two 10mm thick plates and add a nut, what do we call the item? What do we call its purpose/function? Now, discard the nut and tap an M6 thread in one of the plates. Reinsert the SAME fastener. Do we change the name of the orange just because it now turns? Do we change the name of its purpose/function?
Pick a definition of 'bolt' and 'screw' and it will always be possible to come up with a situation where strict use of those definitions contradict themselves. The answer to this conundrum is not to aim for a tighter or better definition, but to accept that such an animal does not exist and the correct use of the two words is defined by the situation.