bil·let

1 [bil-it] noun, verb, bil·let·ed, bil·let·ing.
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)
6.
Military. to direct (a soldier) by ticket, note, or verbal order, where to lodge.
7.
to provide lodging for; quarter: We arranged with the townspeople to billet the students.
00:10
Billet is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
to run away hurriedly; flee.
to spend time idly; loaf.
verb (used without object)
8.
to obtain lodging; stay: They billeted in youth hostels.

Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English bylet, billett official register < Anglo-French billette, Old French bullette, equivalent to bulle bill1 + -ette -ette

bil·let·er, noun
un·bil·let·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged

bil·let

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.
8.
Heraldry. a small, rectangular figure with the longer sides generally vertical, said to represent a block of wood.

Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English bylet, bel(l)et < Anglo-French, Middle French billette, equivalent to bille log, tree trunk (< Gaulish *bilia tree trunk; compare Old Irish bile landmark tree) + -ette -ette

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To billet
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World English Dictionary
billet1 (ˈbɪlɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
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
 
vb , -lets, -leting, -leted
6.  (tr) to assign a lodging to (a soldier)
7.  informal (tr) to assign to a post or job
8.  to lodge or be lodged
 
[C15: from Old French billette, from bulle a document; see bull³]
 
billet'ee1
 
n
 
'billeter1
 
n

billet2 (ˈbɪlɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a chunk of wood, esp for fuel
2.  metallurgy
 a.  a metal bar of square or circular cross section
 b.  an ingot cast into the shape of a prism
3.  architect a carved ornament in a moulding, with short cylinders or blocks evenly spaced
 
[C15: from Old French billette a little log, from bille log, probably of Celtic origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

billet
1590s, "to assign quarters to," earlier, as a noun, "official record or register" (M.E.), from Anglo-Fr. billette "list, schedule," dim. of bille (see bill (1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
They may need additional sizing and surface finishing, but they are nearly as
  strong as metal billet materials.
However, near the edge of the billet, there is a sharp drop in density.
The billet later is worked into rods, tubes, wires or special shapes for a
  variety of uses.
Billet addendums are really specific to the officer and are not specific to the
  billet.
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