pellet

[ pel-it ]

/ ˈpɛl ɪt /

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See synonyms for: pellet / pelleted / pelleting on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

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

a bullet.

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

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.

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

Heraldry. ogress².

verb (used with object)

to form into pellets; pelletize.

to hit with pellets.

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Origin of pellet

1325–75; Middle English pelet<Middle French pelote<Vulgar Latin *pilotta, diminutive of Latin pila ball. See pill¹, -et

OTHER WORDS FROM pellet

pel·let·like, adjective

Words nearby pellet

pellagra-preventive factor, pellagrin, Pellan, pellekar, Pelles, pellet, Pelletier, pelletize, pellicle, pellicle mirror, pellitory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pellet in a sentence

Most weighted blankets are filled with plastic poly pellets—essentially very tiny beads made out of safe, level 5 plastics.
Best weighted blanket: Sleep like a baby with our comfy bedding picks|PopSci Commerce Team|February 12, 2021|Popular-Science
The concept of hop-up has played a central role in Airsoft, a paintball-style game played with solid pellets.
Nerf’s newest blaster shoots spinning balls for dramatic curves|Stan Horaczek|January 27, 2021|Popular-Science
They’re blankets stuffed with pellets—usually made of glass or a plastic like polyethylene—and can weigh as much as 25 pounds.
What the science actually says about weighted blankets|Rahul Rao|January 26, 2021|Popular-Science
That includes both the Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub, which adds connected smart grill features to any grill, and the built-in smart cooking features on its SmokeFire line of wood pellet grills.
Weber acquires smart cooking startup June|Darrell Etherington|January 12, 2021|TechCrunch

First, the researchers dissolved nylon pellets in a strong acid.
Bye-bye batteries? Power a phone with fabric or a beacon with sound|Kathryn Hulick|January 6, 2021|Science News For Students
Sleet is rain mixed with snow; there are pellet like snowflakes that fall between warming and cooling fronts.
How to Survive a Southern Ice Storm|Nicholas Isabella|February 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Heber, who was struck by a pellet round to his head, was not seriously injured.
California School Shooter Had a ‘Hit List’|Christine Pelisek|January 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
With the pellet gun pointed at him the manager opened the safe.
Should Juvenile Criminals Be Sentenced Like Adults?|Clark Merrefield|November 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He found a manager who was buying a package of Goldfish crackers and pulled the pellet gun on him.
Should Juvenile Criminals Be Sentenced Like Adults?|Clark Merrefield|November 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
We are now getting the air-pressure through the pipe in both ends of the tube alike, and do not move the pellet either way.
Steam Steel and Electricity|James W. Steele
But now imagine the tube closed at each end to begin with, and the little moving pellet, or plunger, on the inside.
Steam Steel and Electricity|James W. Steele
I did but shoot at a pigeon that should have served me for dinner, and as my pellet missed it, it must have broken your pitcher.
The Olive Fairy Book|Various
One wasp comes back with its burden of woody pulp rolled up in a little pellet.
Little Busybodies|Jeanette Augustus Marks and Julia Moody
As he followed Clerk Henriet, Laurence looked at the round pellet in his hand.
The Black Douglas|S. R. Crockett

British Dictionary definitions for pellet

pellet

/ (ˈpɛlɪt) /

noun

a small round ball, esp of compressed mattera wax pellet

an imitation bullet used in toy guns
a piece of small shot

a stone ball formerly used as a catapult or cannon missile

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

a small pill

a raised area on coins and carved or moulded ornaments

verb (tr)

to strike with pellets

to make or form into pellets

Word Origin for pellet

C14: from Old French pelote, from Vulgar Latin pilota (unattested), from Latin pila ball

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

pellet

Origin of pellet

OTHER WORDS FROM pellet

Words nearby pellet

Words related to pellet

How to use pellet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pellet

Word Origin for pellet