pellet
noun
- small round object
- type of ammunition
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈpɛl.ɪt/ / /ˈpel.ɪt/
noun
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English pelote, pelet, from Old French pelote (“small ball”), from Vulgar Latin *pilotta, diminutive of Latin pila (“ball”). Doublet of pelota.
- A small, compressed, hard chunk of matter.
“a pellet of wood, paper, or ore”
- A lead projectile used as ammunition in rifled air guns.
- Compressed byproduct of digestion regurgitated by owls and many other birds of prey, which serves as a waste disposal mechanism for indigestible parts of food, such as fur and bones.
- A roundel sable (black circular spot).
- One of the short conductive tubes in a Pelletron particle accelerator.
verb
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English pelote, pelet, from Old French pelote (“small ball”), from Vulgar Latin *pilotta, diminutive of Latin pila (“ball”). Doublet of pelota.
- To form into pellets.
- To strike with pellets.