packet

[ pak-it ]

/ ˈpæk ɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR packet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small group or package of anything: a packet of letters.

Also called packet boat, packet ship. a small vessel that carries mail, passengers, and goods regularly on a fixed route, especially on rivers or along coasts.

Cards. a part of a pack of cards after being cut.

Informal. a large amount of money.

Digital Technology. a relatively small unit of data sent over a network:Every email you send and web page you browse is transferred to and from your device in a series of packets.

British Slang.

a painful blow or beating.
misfortune or failure.

verb (used with object)

to bind up in a package or parcel.

Nearby words

packboard, packed, packed in like sardines, packed-cell volume, packer, packet, packet switched system, packet switching, packframe, packhorse, packing

Origin of packet

1520–30; < Middle French pacquet, equivalent to pacqu(er) to pack¹ + -et -et

SYNONYMS FOR packet

1 See package.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR packet ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for packet

Reading The Bone Clocks is like working your way through a packet of Starbursts at one go.
David Mitchell’s ‘The Bone Clocks’ Is Fun But Mostly Empty Calories|William O’Connor|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There were rumors along Broadway in the following week that Rothstein had lost a packet.
Portrait of the Consummate Con Man|John Lardner|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His father was executed in 1942 by a German gendarme after attempting to smuggle a packet of saccharine into the Ghetto.
The Week in Death: Irving Milchberg, the Teenage Gunrunner of the Warsaw Ghetto|The Telegraph|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fold the bottom tip of dough up and press to seal into a packet.
Daniel Boulud Reveals His 4 Favorite Recipes From His New Cookbook|Daniel Boulud|October 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Anatabloc has even proudly posted a photo of the governor holding a packet of the supplement on its Facebook page.
Virginia Republicans’ One-Two Punch of Financial Scandals|Caitlin Dickson|April 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
William pressed into one of his hands a stick of liquorice and into the other a packet of chocolate.
Just William|Richmal Crompton
A packet of gold powder, and a glass vessel for diluting the colors.
Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million|Sarah Josepha Hale
"I am ready now" said Sylvia in a weak voice as she put a packet of biscuits into her bundle.
Daisy Ashford: Her Book|Daisy Ashford
The Prince stood by the window and undid the packet with trembling hands.
Jennie Baxter, Journalist|Robert Barr
For answer I held before him a packet of something made up in a piece of canvas, and tied round with spun-yarn.
Sail Ho!|George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for packet

packet

/ (ˈpækɪt) /

noun

a small or medium-sized container of cardboard, paper, etc, often together with its contentsa packet of biscuits Usual US and Canadian word: package, pack

a small package; parcel

Also called: packet boat a boat that transports mail, passengers, goods, etc, on a fixed short route

slang a large sum of moneyto cost a packet

computing a unit into which a larger piece of data is broken down for more efficient transmissionSee also packet switching

verb

(tr) to wrap up in a packet or as a packet

Word Origin for packet

C16: from Old French pacquet, from pacquer to pack, from Old Dutch pak a pack

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for packet

packet

mid-15c., from Middle English pak "bundle" (see pack (n.)) + diminutive suffix -et; perhaps modeled on Anglo-French pacquet (Middle French pacquet), which ultimately is a diminutive of Middle Dutch pak. A packet boat (1640s) originally was one that carried mails. Packet-switching attested from 1971.

packet

noun

verb (used with object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of packet

Examples from the Web for packet

British Dictionary definitions for packet

packet

noun

verb

Word Origin for packet

Word Origin and History for packet

packet