billet
n. countablen. a place where you stay for a short time, especially when you are traveling or in the military. It can also mean a small piece of metal used to make a bullet.
n. a temporary place of lodging, typically for soldiers or travelers; also refers to a small bar of metal used as a projectile in firearms. Often used in the context of military billeting or historical manufacturing.
The soldiers were assigned to a billet in the nearby village.
During the war, the local families were asked to provide a billet for the visiting troops.
The foundry produced thousands of lead billets daily, which were then transported to the armory for the final stages of bullet production.
From Middle English bylet, from Anglo-Norman billette (“list, schedule”), from bille + -ette, from Latin bulla (“document”).
From Middle French billette (“schedule”), from bullette, diminutive form of bulle (“document”), from Medieval Latin bulla, hence cognate with etymology 1 above.
From Middle English billet, bylet, belet, billette, from Old French billette, from bille (“log, tree trunk”), from Vulgar Latin *bilia, probably of Gaulish origin (compare Old Irish bile (“tree”)).