billet

Billet is a term with several related but distinct meanings in English, borrowed from Old French. In lodging and military contexts, a billet is a place of temporary lodging assigned to a person or troops; to billet someone is to provide them with housing, often in private homes or institutions. The word is used in government and military planning to describe posts or assignments.

Metalworking and manufacturing use billet to denote a semi-finished piece of metal, typically rectangular in cross-section, cast or extruded for subsequent working like forging or extrusion. The term helps distinguish stock forms: billets are smaller than blooms but larger than small bars; sizes vary by material and industry.

Wood and timber industries use billet to mean a log or a short, thick piece cut for processing into lumber or for turning; commonly used in sawmilling and woodworking.

In modern English, billet can also refer to a job or post, especially in government or military contexts: a diplomatic billet or an overseas billet. In some contexts, billet also means a ticket or permit, especially in French usage; in English, this sense is narrow and generally replaced by ticket or pass.

Origin: from Old French billet, meaning a little note or small piece of wood; the sense relating to lodging and stock material developed in several branches.