a cereal grass, Setaria italica, extensively cultivated in the East and in southern Europe for its small seed, or grain, used as food for humans and fowls, but in the U.S. grown chiefly for fodder.
any of various related or similar grasses cultivated as grain plants or forage plants.
the grain of any of these grasses.
Francis Davis, 1846–1912, U.S. painter, illustrator, and journalist.
Jean François 1814–75, French painter.
a cereal grass, Setaria italica, cultivated for grain and animal fodder
an East Indian annual grass, Panicum miliaceum, cultivated for grain and forage, having pale round shiny seeds
the seed of this plant
any of various similar or related grasses, such as pearl millet and Indian millet
1375–1425; late Middle English milet < Middle French, equivalent to mil (< Latin milium millet) + -et -et
Millet is a grain-like food that grows in grassy stalks and is a staple in both Asia and Africa. People on gluten-free diets aren't bothered by millet, which is technically a seed rather than a true grain. Pass the millet, please! Even in dry, hot conditions, millet grows easily and quickly, which has made it an important food in countries like India and Nigeria. Some East Asian countries brew beer using millet, and the Indian flatbread roti is commonly made with millet flour. Russia and Germany share a traditional millet-based food, a breakfast porridge.
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"People depend on millet for livelihood. We depend on electricity for livelihood", the 40-year-old told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
People stop by Amadou Gaye's shack at the market in the western town of Sukuta to use his small electric mill to grind millet for cooking porridge or the local steamed grain dish called chere.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Each farmer planted two plots of millet -- one treated with nitrogen fertilizer and one left untreated.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2026
Sometimes it is possible to find sorghum or millet but on the day of filming, the kitchen manager says: "There is no flour or bread."
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2025
Overnight the wilting wheat and millet fields turned green.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
"In fact, the usefulness of technology is very limited in this area," Millet says.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
"This is a fire that makes no sense. It has no direction," Guillaume Millet of the Gironde fire and rescue service told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Somewhere between Rue and Cassie on the desperation scale sits Elle Fanning’s Margo Millet, an eager community college student whose money troubles start when she falls for one of the oldest tricks in the book.
From Salon ● May 4, 2026
By then American painters were studying in Paris; they knew Courbet and Millet, and soon enough would know Pissarro and Monet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Frank Millet unofficially kept watch over the buildings of the eastern architects during their lengthy absences from the park, lest some ad hoc decision cause irreparable aesthetic damage.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
"So far, we have learnt that the people of Keeladi were involved in agriculture, trade and cattle-rearing. They kept deer, goats and wild pigs and ate lots of rice and millets," says Prof Kumaresan.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2025
Corn farmers across the Midwest are experimenting with drought-resistant millets, while growers in Sub-Saharan Africa are embracing varieties of sorghum and legumes that require less water than other grains.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2025
Over centuries, millets have been cultivated around the world — including in Japan, Europe, the Americas and Australia — but their epicenter has traditionally been India, China and sub-Saharan Africa.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 9, 2023
To be held at a brand-new $300-million venue in the shape of a conch shell, the menu will feature Indian food with a special emphasis on millets, a grain the country has been promoting.
From Reuters ● Sep. 6, 2023
China had developed intensive agriculture based on millets in the north and rice in the south, and with domestic pigs, chickens, and water buffalo.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
