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pellet

noun

  1. small round object
  2. type of ammunition
L40781 on Wikidata ↗

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.

  1. A small, compressed, hard chunk of matter.

    a pellet of wood, paper, or ore

  2. A lead projectile used as ammunition in rifled air guns.
  3. 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.
  4. A roundel sable (black circular spot).
  5. 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.

  1. To form into pellets.
  2. To strike with pellets.