billet

See also Billet

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /ˈbɪlɪt/
• Rhymes: -ɪlɪt

Etymology 1

From Middle English bylet, from Anglo-Norman billette (“list, schedule”).

Noun

billet (plural billets)

1. A short informal letter.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Book VI, chapter xii

     However, when his cool reflections returned, he plainly perceived that his case was neither mended nor altered by Sophia's billet […]

2. A written order to quarter soldiers.

Translations

short informal letter

• Greek: μπιλιέτο (el) (biliéto) n

• Russian: записка (ru) (zapíska) f

Etymology 2

Middle French billette (“schedule”), from bullette, diminutive form of bulle (“document”), from Medieval Latin bulla (“document”).

Noun

billet (plural billets)

1. a place where a soldier is assigned to lodge
   • 1997: Chris Horrocks, Introducing Foucault, page 9 (Totem Books, Icon Books; ISBN 1840460865)

     17 June 1940: Prime Minister Pétain requests armistice. Germans use the Foucaults’ holiday home as officers’ billet. Foucault steals firewood for school from collaborationist militia. Foucault does well at school, but messes up his summer exams in 1940.

Verb

billet (third-person singular simple present billets, present participle billeting or billetting, simple past and past participle billeted or billetted)

1. (transitive, of a householder etc) to lodge soldiers, usually by order
   • Washington Irving

     Billeted in so antiquated a mansion.

2. (intransitive, of a soldier) to lodge, or be quartered, in a private house
3. (transitive) To direct, by a ticket or note, where to lodge.

Translations

to lodge soldiers in a private house

• Bulgarian: разквартирувам (bg) (razkvartiruvam)
• Dutch: inkwartieren
• German: einquartieren

• Jèrriais: casèrner
• Portuguese: aquartelar (pt)
• Spanish: acuartelar (es)

Etymology 3

Old French billette, from bille (“log, tree trunk”), from Vulgar Latin *bilia, probably of Gaulish origin (compare Old Irish bile (“tree”)).

Noun

billet (plural billets)

1. metallurgy a semi-finished length of metal
2. a short piece of wood, especially one used as firewood
   • Shakespeare

     They shall beat out my brains with billets.

3. (heraldry) A rectangle used as a charge on an escutcheon
4. (architecture) An ornament in Norman work, resembling a billet of wood either square or round.
5. (saddlery) A strap which enters a buckle.
6. A loop which receives the end of a buckled strap.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Knight to this entry?)

Translations

a semi-finished length of metal

• Bulgarian: , слитък (bg) (slitǎk) m

a short piece of firewood

• Bulgarian: , цепеница (bg) (cepenica) f

• Maori: tuporo (mi)

---

Danish

Etymology

From French billet.

Noun

billet c (singular definite billetten, plural indefinite billetter)

1. ticket (admission to entertainment, pass for transportation)

Inflection

    Inflection of billet

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative, dative and accusative	billet	billetten	billetter	billetterne
genitive	billets	billettens	billetters	billetternes

---

French

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA: /bi.jɛ/, X-SAMPA: /bi.jE/

Noun

billet m (plural billets)

1. ticket
2. note, banknote

Related terms

• billetterie
• billetiste
• billet de banque
• billet-doux

Descendants

• Georgian: ბილეთი (bilet'i)