millet

noun

mil·​let ˈmi-lət 

1

: any of various small-seeded annual cereal and forage grasses:

a

: a Eurasian grass (Panicum miliaceum) cultivated for its grain which is used for food

b

: any of several grasses related to common millet

2

: the seed of a millet

Examples of millet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It’s packed with seeds that birds can’t resist—including safflower, nyjer, sunflower, red millet, and peanuts—and it’s designed to attract a variety of birds including cardinals, jays, finches, nuthatches, grosbeaks, chickadees and more. —Moriah Mason, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2023

Eating more millet is not only good for the planet, but also good for you. —Maria Speck, Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2023

Is mighty millet on its way to become the new quinoa? —Maria Speck, Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2023

Indeed, most of them are still grown only there: few Americans have ever tasted Ethiopia's finger millet beer, its oily noog, its narcotic chat, or its national bread, which is made from a tiny-seeded cereal called teff. —Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2023

The best bird seed mixes contain a mixture of peanuts, millet, black oil sunflower seeds, and striped sunflower seeds. —Kristen (kj) Callihan, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Mar. 2023

The pop-rock tune—performed by a Grammy Award winning singer with a section featuring Modi speaking about the prosperity and radiance of millet—extols the virtues of an ancient grain that has been cultivated in Asia and Africa for thousands of years. —Rajesh Roy, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2023

Even humble millet — India is the world’s largest producer — has found itself in the spotlight. —Suhasini Raj, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2023

The Humane Society recommends safflower seed for attracting cardinals, chickadees and titmice; nyjer thistle for goldfinches; and white proso millet for mourning doves and house finches. —Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 30 June 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English milet, from Middle French, from Old French, diminutive of mil, from Latin milium; akin to Greek melinē millet

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing millet

• pearl millet
• Japanese millet
• foxtail millet

• pearl millet
• Japanese millet
• foxtail millet

Kids Definition

millet

noun

mil·​let ˈmil-ət 

1

: a grass cultivated for its small shiny whitish seeds used as human and bird food and sometimes grown for hay

2

: the seed of a millet

Biographical Definition

Millet

biographical name

Mil·​let mē-ˈyā 

mi-ˈlā

Jean-François 1814–1875 French painter