pellet
UK[ˈpelɪt]US[ˈpelɪt]
n
A small, hard ball of a substance, often made by compressing a material into a rounded shape.
n
A small piece of solid matter, such as a piece of shot, animal waste, or a pill.
Morpheme Breakdown
pell
et
pell
skin/hide
et
diminutive suffix
Etymology
The word "pellet" entered English in the 14th century from the Old French pelote, meaning "small ball." The French term derived from the Vulgar Latin pilotta, a diminutive of the Latin pila, meaning "ball." The Latin pila is thought to share a Proto-Indo-European root with words for "skin" or "hide" (pel-), suggesting an early concept of a ball as something made from or resembling a rounded piece of skin or a pill. Over time, the semantic connection to "skin" faded, and the core meaning solidified around any small, compressed, spherical object, from ammunition and animal feed to medicinal pills.
Analysis
Structure: pell (skin/hide) + et (diminutive suffix)
pell: From Latin pellis, meaning "skin" or "hide." In this word, it functions as the root, historically relating to a small, rounded object like a little ball of skin or a small pill.
et: A diminutive suffix of French origin (from Latin -ittum), indicating something small.
Examples
The hunter loaded his air rifle with a lead pellet.
The scientist formed the chemical powder into a tiny pellet for the experiment.
Owl pellets, containing the indigestible bones and fur of their prey, are often studied in biology classes.