billet
1[ bil-it ]
/ ˈbɪl ɪt /
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noun
verb (used with object), bil·let·ed, bil·let·ing.
Military. to direct (a soldier) by ticket, note, or verbal order, where to lodge.
to provide lodging for; quarter: We arranged with the townspeople to billet the students.
verb (used without object), bil·let·ed, bil·let·ing.
to obtain lodging; stay: They billeted in youth hostels.
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Origin of billet
1OTHER WORDS FROM billet
bil·let·er, nounun·bil·let·ed, adjectiveOther definitions for billet (2 of 2)
billet2
[ bil-it ]
/ ˈbɪl ɪt /
noun
Origin of billet
2First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English billet, bylet, from Old French billette, equivalent to bille “log, tree trunk” (from unrecorded Gaulish bilia “tree trunk”; compare Old Irish bile “landmark tree”) + -ette -ette
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use billet in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for billet (1 of 2)
billet1
/ (ˈbɪlɪt) /
noun
verb -lets, -leting or -leted
Derived forms of billet
billetee, nounbilleter, nounWord Origin for billet
C15: from Old French billette, from bulle a document; see bull ³
British Dictionary definitions for billet (2 of 2)
billet2
/ (ˈbɪlɪt) /
noun
a chunk of wood, esp for fuel
metallurgy
- a metal bar of square or circular cross section
- an ingot cast into the shape of a prism
architect a carved ornament in a moulding, with short cylinders or blocks evenly spaced
Word Origin for billet
C15: from Old French billette a little log, from bille log, probably of Celtic origin
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