millet

noun

mil·​let ˈmi-lət 

1

: any of various small-seeded annual cereal and forage grasses:

a

: a Eurasian grass (Panicum miliaceum) cultivated for its grain which is used for food

b

: any of several grasses related to common millet

2

: the seed of a millet

Examples of millet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For this, chiropractor recommended bed pillows have unusual stuffings inside them, namely buckwheat and millet hulls. —Brianna Kamienski, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2024

Found at the same layer in multiple core samples was a large quantity of harvested millet, a cereal crop. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 6 June 2024

Michelle Troconis’ family, defense attorney react to guilty verdict: ‘This is devastating’ Among the many uses of millet? —Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2024

There, children tie plastic bags to their feet in place of shoes, and everyone lives in mud and straw houses amid the sprawling millet fields. —Chris Arsenault, Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2015

Word History

Etymology

Middle English milet, from Middle French, from Old French, diminutive of mil, from Latin milium; akin to Greek melinē millet

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing millet

• foxtail millet
• Japanese millet
• pearl millet

Kids Definition

millet

noun

mil·​let ˈmil-ət 

1

: a grass cultivated for its small shiny whitish seeds used as human and bird food and sometimes grown for hay

2

: the seed of a millet

Biographical Definition

Millet

biographical name

Mil·​let mē-ˈyā 

mi-ˈlā

Jean-François 1814–1875 French painter