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billet1 definition

bil·let (bil′it)

noun

  1. Obsolete a brief document or letter
  2. a written order to provide quarters or lodging for military personnel, as in private buildings
    1. the quarters thus assigned or occupied
    2. the sleeping place assigned to a sailor on ship
  4. a position, job, or situation

Etymology: ME < Anglo-Fr, dim. of bille, bill

transitive verb

  1. to assign to lodging by billet
  2. to assign to a post
  3. to serve a billet on

intransitive verb

to be billeted or quartered
billet2 definition

bil·let (bil′it)

noun

    1. a short, thick piece of firewood
    2. Obsolete a wooden club
    1. a long, rectangular or cylindrical unfinished bar of iron or steel, usually smaller than c. 232 sq cm (c. 36 sq in) in cross section
    2. a similar, generally smaller, bar made from a nonferrous metal
  3. Archit. a log-shaped insert in a Norman molding

  4. Etymology: ? < another source

    Saddlery any of the straps used to fasten the saddletree to the girth

Etymology: ME < OFr billette, dim. of bille < Gaul *bilia, tree trunk, akin to Ir bile, tree

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

billet Usage Examples

Object

  • soldier: There were a lot of soldiers billeted in Fairford; the cook's husband was overseas in the Army.

Converse of object

  • find: Endeavor to find billets for No 1 in the afternoon and get wet through.

Adjective modifier

  • solid: The base plate was machined from a solid aluminum billet.

Modifies a noun

  • aluminum: Machined from billet aluminum with 8 dimples these trims can be fitted in a few seconds without any tools.

Modifying Another Word

  • there: I was the junior member of 78 Squad which joined in 1941, the year in which the School was billeted there.

Noun used with modifier

  • aluminum: The base plate was machined from a solid aluminum billet.

Preposition: in

  • village: In Europe I was billeted in a village on the banks of the river Elbe about 40 miles form Hamburg.

Preposition: of

  • material: Imagine a rectangular billet of material on the mill table.

Preposition: with

  • family: By the end of the war Lionel Blue had been billeted with a dozen families.

Preposition: for

  • night: At Truro, we went to find the Carlton Hotel, our billet for the night.
billet usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

billet quotes

   Every bullet has its billet.

-William III also called  William of Orange

billet quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"billet." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/billet>

APA Style

billet. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/billet

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