Added 10 October 2026
pellet
/ˈpɛl.ɪt/ noun
Latin root: pila Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pellet at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
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.
verb
Origin
Inherited from Middle English pelote, pelet, from Old French pelote (“small ball”), from Vulgar Latin *pilotta, diminutive of Latin pila (“ball”). Doublet of pelota.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)