pellet

1 of 2

noun

pel·​let ˈpe-lət 

1

a

: a usually small rounded, spherical, or cylindrical body (as of food or medicine)

b

: a wad of indigestible material (as of bones and fur) regurgitated by a bird of prey

2

: any of various projectiles fired from a weapon (such as an air rifle)

pelletal

ˈpe-lə-tᵊl 

adjective

pellet

2 of 2

verb

pelleted; pelleting; pellets

transitive verb

1

: pelletize

2

: to strike with pellets

Synonyms

Noun

• ball
• bullet

Examples of pellet in a Sentence

Noun

the tightly packed pellets of a shotgun cartridge

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Guests can also hang out with the animals during visits to the on-site Giraffe Center and an outdoor afternoon tea, with the brave placing a pellet between their lips to entice a giraffe kiss. —Catherine Garcia, theweek, 5 Nov. 2024

When your cat goes in the Smart Box Health Monitoring Cat Litter, the pellets will change color as a warning sign that something’s wrong, such as a urinary tract infection or kidney problem. —Jeff Wilser, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024

Verb

Extremely high temperatures inside the reactor in those first few days are believed to have melted parts of the zirconium alloy fuel rods and some of the uranium pellets themselves. —IEEE Spectrum, 16 Mar. 2011

Drawbacks: Testosterone pellets tenet to result in larger fluctuations in testosterone levels, require surgery to be replaced, and do not always result in optimal testosterone levels [12]. —The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pelote, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *pilota, diminutive of Latin pila ball

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pellet

• pellet gun
• pellet stove

Kids Definition

pellet

noun

pel·​let

ˈpel-ət

1

a

: a little ball (as of food or medicine)

b

: a wad of material (as of bones and fur) that could not be digested and was regurgitated by a bird of prey (as an owl)

2

a

: bullet sense 1

b

: a piece of small shot

Medical Definition

pellet

noun

pel·​let ˈpel-ət 

: a usually small rounded or spherical body

specifically : a small cylindrical or ovoid compressed mass (as of a hormone) that is implanted subcutaneously for slow absorption into bodily tissues