bil·let¹ / ˈbilit/ • n. a place, usually a civilian's house or other nonmilitary facility, where soldiers are lodged temporarily.• v. (-let·ed, -let·ing) [tr.] (often be billeted) lodge (soldiers) in a particular place, esp. a civilian's house or other nonmilitary facility.bil·let² • n. a thick piece of wood. ∎  a small bar of metal for further processing. ∎  Archit. each of a series of short cylindrical pieces inserted at intervals in decorative hollow moldings.

billet. One of a series of short chamfered, cylindrical, prismatic, rectangular, segmental, or square projecting members in, or forming, a decorative continuous moulding, its axis parallel to the direction of the series, with sometimes two or more rows of this ornament placed one above the other, with the billets of one row alternating with those of the other. It is characteristic of Romanesque architecture. Cylindrical billets resemble short lengths of dowel.

billet1 †short document XV; (f. the vb.) military order to provide board and lodging XVII; place of such lodging; situation, job XIX. — AN. billete or AL. billeta, dim. of billa BILL3; see -ET.
Hence billet vb. assign quarters to XVI.

billet2 thick piece of wood. XV. — (O)F. billette, billot, dims. of bille tree-trunk, length of round timber — medL. billa, billus, prob. of Celtic orig. (cf. Ir. bile sacred tree, large tree); see -ET.

billet A piece of wood that has been cut for fuel.