pellet

American  

[pel-it] / ˈpɛl ɪt /

noun

pellets plural

1. a small, rounded or spherical body, as of food or medicine.

2. a small wad or ball of wax, paper, etc., for throwing, shooting, or the like.

3. one of a charge of small shot, as for a shotgun.

4. a bullet.

5. a ball, usually of stone, formerly used as a missile.

6. Also called cast.  Ornithology. a small, roundish mass of matter regurgitated by certain predatory birds, consisting of the indigestible remains, as the fur, feathers, and bones, of the prey.

7. (in Romanesque architecture) a hemispherical or disklike carved ornament.

8. Heraldry. ogress.

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verb (used with object)

pellets, present (3rd person singular) pelleted, past participle, past pelleting present participle

1. to form into pellets; pelletize.

2. to hit with pellets.

pellet British  

/ ˈpɛlɪt /

noun

1. a small round ball, esp of compressed matter

   a wax pellet

2. 1. an imitation bullet used in toy guns

   2. a piece of small shot

3. a stone ball formerly used as a catapult or cannon missile

4. Also called: cast.   casting.  ornithol a mass of undigested food, including bones, fur, feathers, etc, that is regurgitated by certain birds, esp birds of prey

5. a small pill

6. a raised area on coins and carved or moulded ornaments

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verb

1. to strike with pellets

2. to make or form into pellets

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pelletlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pellets
  plural

Participles

• pelleting
  present
• pelleted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pellet
  simple
• pellets
  simple
• have pelleted
  perfect
• has pelleted
  perfect
• am pelleting
  progressive
• are pelleting
  progressive
• is pelleting
  progressive
• have been pelleting
  perfect progressive
• has been pelleting
  perfect progressive

Past

• pelleted
  simple
• had pelleted
  perfect
• was pelleting
  progressive
• were pelleting
  progressive
• had been pelleting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pellet
  simple
• will have pelleted
  perfect
• will be pelleting
  progressive
• will have been pelleting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pellet

1325–75; Middle English pelet < Middle French pelote < Vulgar Latin *pilotta, diminutive of Latin pila ball. See pill ¹, -et

Explanation

A pellet is a small, rounded piece of something, especially a compressed nugget of some material. Many pets eat food that comes in pellets, including some fish, rabbits, and guinea pigs. You might feed your pet rat pellets each day, or heat your house by burning pellets made of compressed sawdust in a special kind of stove. When it hails or sleets, tiny pellets of ice fall from the sky, and your cousin's BB gun works by shooting tiny metal pellets from its barrel. Pellet is from the Old French pelote, "small ball," which has the Latin pelote, or "ball," as its root.

Example Sentences

"Pellet ice, which is proven to chill drinks quicker, allow drinks to blend well, and eliminate the worry about choking hazards, is being replaced with new ice," they wrote.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2023

Pellet prices per ton fell 2.6% in October but remain almost 200% higher than a year ago, the pellet institute says.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2022

Industrial Pellet Association, an industry group, wrote in a statement.

From New York Times • May 17, 2022

Russia's legal team will be weakened by the absence of Allain Pellet of France, who announced his resignation in an open letter published this week.

From Reuters • Mar. 4, 2022

King Pellet had gone to the library to work out some prognostications, and his guest was left gloomily in the hall.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• bullet
• pill