billet

1 of 3

noun (1)

bil·​let ˈbi-lət How to pronounce billet (audio)
1
archaic : a brief letter : note
2
a
: an official order directing that a member of a military force be provided with board and lodging (as in a private home)
b
: quarters assigned by or as if by a billet
3
: position, job
a lucrative billet

billet

2 of 3

verb

billeted; billeting; billets

transitive verb

1
: to assign lodging to (someone, such as a soldier) by or as if by a billet
2
: to serve with a billet
billet a householder

billet

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
a
: a chunky piece of wood (as for firewood)
b
obsolete : cudgel
2
a
: a bar of metal
b
: a piece of semifinished iron or steel nearly square in section made by rolling an ingot or bloom
c
: a section of nonferrous metal ingot hot-worked by forging, rolling, or extrusion
d
: a nonferrous casting suitable for rolling or extrusion

Examples of billet in a Sentence

Verb every colonial household was expected to billet a British soldier
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Each of its frames are hand-finished in its English factory, while certain parts are chiseled from solid blocks of billet aluminum. Charlie Thomas, Robb Report, 12 Jan. 2024 View Photos All the suspension arms, of unequal-length front and rear, are billet aluminum and attach to the body and upright via ball joints. K.c. Colwell, Car and Driver, 18 Aug. 2023 The crank and cam were custom cut from bars of solid billet steel. Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 19 Oct. 2020 It should also be noted that the residence became a billet for Canadian soldiers during WWII. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 10 May 2023 That's kind of boring, so Shelby also added an optional supercharger system complete with a performance air intake with high flow filter, aluminum heat exchanger and a billet throttle body with high-flow fuel injectors. Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 7 June 2023 His billet dad/teammate remarked in the Globe that Bergeron happily ate his fruits and vegetables. Matt Porter, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Jan. 2021 Is the riser cast (okay), or extruded, forged, or machined from a single billet (better)? Dave Hurteau, Field & Stream, 12 Aug. 2020 No navy can afford to keep 1,000 billets filled with idle soldiers for seven years. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 19 Apr. 2023
Verb
For nine seasons over 10 years, Ward and her husband, Butch, lodged, fed, inspired, consoled, polished and did laundry for 15 young men who billeted in their Ashwaubenon home for a year or two and then advanced in hockey. Dave Kallmann, Journal Sentinel, 2 June 2023 Invading armies were billeted in them. James Fenton, The New York Review of Books, 16 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'billet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English bylet, from Anglo-French billette, diminutive of bille bill

Noun (2)

Middle English bylet, from Anglo-French billete, diminutive of bille log, of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish bile landmark tree

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of billet was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near billet

Cite this Entry

“Billet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billet. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

billet

1 of 3 noun
bil·​let ˈbil-ət How to pronounce billet (audio)
1
: an official order that a soldier be put up in a private home
2
: quarters assigned by or as if by a billet
3

billet

2 of 3 verb
: to assign lodging to : quarter

billet

3 of 3 noun
1
: a chunky piece of wood (as for firewood)
2
: a bar of metal
especially : one of iron or steel
Etymology

Noun

Middle English bylet "brief note," from early French billette, literally, "little document," derived from Latin billa "document"

Noun

Middle English bylet "chunk of wood," from early French billete, literally, "little log"; of Celtic origin

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