Millet
/ˈmɪlɪt/noun
A group of small-seeded cereal grasses grown for food, especially in dry regions.
Did you know?Millet’s name is a diminutive of Latin *milium* (“millet”), ultimately tied to the idea of smallness, and it spread through French into English as a name for one of humanity’s oldest survival grains.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Italic
PIE
*smel-
“A root connected with grinding or crushing, though the exact prehistory of Latin *milium* is uncertain.”
Latin
Latin
milium
“Millet, the small-seeded grain.”
Late Latin
Latin
milletum
“Millet; a form influenced by the idea of smallness/diminution.”
Old French
Old French
millet
“Millet.”
Middle English
English
millet
“Millet, the grain.”
Modern English
English
millet
“A small-seeded cereal grass cultivated for food.”
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