mal·let  (m ăl ĭt)
Share:
n.1. a. A short-handled hammer, usually with a cylindrical head of wood, used chiefly to drive a chisel or wedge. b. A similar tool with a rubber, leather, or plastic head, used to strike a surface without damaging it. 2. Sports A long-handled implement used to strike a ball, as in croquet and polo. 3. Music A light hammer with a rounded head for striking a percussion instrument.
[Middle English mailet, mallet, from Old French maillet, diminutive of mail, maul; see MAUL.]  (click for a larger image) malletrubber mallet |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
This website is best viewed in Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. Some characters in pronunciations and etymologies cannot be displayed properly in Internet Explorer.