billet

¹

[ bil-it ]

noun

1. lodging for a soldier, student, etc., as in a private home or nonmilitary public building.
2. Military. an official order, written or verbal, directing the person to whom it is addressed to provide such lodging.
3. a place assigned, as a bunk, berth, or the like, to a member of a ship's crew.
4. job; position; appointment.
5. Archaic. a written note, short letter, or the like.

verb (used with object)

, bil·let·ed, bil·let·ing.

1. Military. to direct (a soldier) by ticket, note, or verbal order, where to lodge.
2. to provide lodging for; quarter:

   We arranged with the townspeople to billet the students.

verb (used without object)

, bil·let·ed, bil·let·ing.

1. to obtain lodging; stay:

   They billeted in youth hostels.

billet

²

[ bil-it ]

noun

1. a small chunk of wood; a short section of a log, especially one cut for fuel.
2. Metalworking. a comparatively narrow, generally square, bar of steel, especially one rolled or forged from an ingot; a narrow bloom.
3. an iron or steel slab upon concrete, serving as a footing to a column.
4. Architecture. any of a series of closely spaced cylindrical objects, often in several rows, used as ornaments in a hollow molding or cornice.
5. a strap that passes through a buckle, as to connect the ends of a girth.
6. a pocket or loop for securing the end of a strap that has been buckled.
7. thumbpiece.
8. Heraldry. a small, rectangular figure with the longer sides generally vertical, said to represent a block of wood.

billet

¹

/ ˈbɪlɪt /

noun

1. accommodation, esp for a soldier, in civilian lodgings
2. the official requisition for such lodgings
3. a space or berth allocated, esp for slinging a hammock, in a ship
4. informal.
   a job
5. archaic.
   a brief letter or document

verb

1. tr to assign a lodging to (a soldier)
2. informal.
   tr to assign to a post or job
3. to lodge or be lodged

billet

²

/ ˈbɪlɪt /

noun

1. a chunk of wood, esp for fuel
2. metallurgy
   1. a metal bar of square or circular cross section
   2. an ingot cast into the shape of a prism
3. architect a carved ornament in a moulding, with short cylinders or blocks evenly spaced

Derived Forms

• ˌbilletˈee, noun
• ˈbilleter, noun

Other Words From

• billet·er noun
• un·billet·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of billet¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English billet, bylet “official register; record,” from Anglo-French, Old French billette, variant of Old French bullette, equivalent to bulle bill ¹ + -ette -ette

Origin of billet²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English billet, bylet, from Old French billette, equivalent to bille “log, tree trunk” (from unrecorded Gaulish bilia “tree trunk”; compare Old Irish bile “landmark tree”) + -ette -ette

Word History and Origins

Origin of billet¹

C15: from Old French billette , from bulle a document; see bull ³

Origin of billet²

C15: from Old French billette a little log, from bille log, probably of Celtic origin

Example Sentences

Some terminated their service unimpressively, an example being former President George W. Bush, who trained as a pilot but never saw combat and whose service ended in a cushy Air National Guard billet.

From Salon

Nor does it seem to me to make the slightest difference in Sen. Vance’s qualifications to hold the country’s second-highest office that he filled a public affairs billet when he served in Iraq.

From Salon

Seattle’s first family trip is underway with fathers, fathers-in-law, brothers, a childhood friend and one billet dad traveling from around the globe to accompany Kraken players and staff on a somewhat typical weekend in the NHL.

From Seattle Times

Aside from bonding with his teammates, there’s the child of his billet family he refers to now as his brother, and friends he’s made with other teams, including the Junior Bruins who he is now following on social media.

From Washington Times

Eric Billet, whose three children attend Newport News public schools, said he supports more security measures, like metal detectors, bag searches and a security officer at every school.

From Seattle Times