packet

[pak-it] /ˈpæk ɪt/
noun
1.
a small group or package of anything:
a packet of letters.
2.
Also called packet boat, packet ship. a small vessel that carries mail, passengers, and goods regularly on a fixed route, especially on rivers or along coasts.
3.
Cards. a part of a pack of cards after being cut.
4.
Informal. a large amount of money.
5.
British Slang.
  1. a painful blow or beating.
  2. misfortune or failure.
verb (used with object)
6.
to bind up in a package or parcel.
Origin
1520-30; < Middle French pacquet, equivalent to pacqu(er) to pack1 + -et -et
Synonyms
1. See package.
Examples from the web for packets
  • The two packets are often crossed and slammed into each other as to align them.
British Dictionary definitions for packets

packet

/ˈpækɪt/
noun
1.
a small or medium-sized container of cardboard, paper, etc, often together with its contents: a packet of biscuits Usual US and Canadian word package, pack
2.
a small package; parcel
3.
Also called packet boat. a boat that transports mail, passengers, goods, etc, on a fixed short route
4.
(slang) a large sum of money: to cost a packet
5.
(computing) a unit into which a larger piece of data is broken down for more efficient transmission See also packet switching
verb
6.
(transitive) to wrap up in a packet or as a packet
Word Origin
C16: from Old French pacquet, from pacquer to pack, from Old Dutch pak a pack
Word Origin and History for packets

packet

n.

mid-15c., from Middle English pak "bundle" (see pack (n.)) + diminutive suffix -et; perhaps modeled on Anglo-French pacquet (Middle French pacquet), which ultimately is a diminutive of Middle Dutch pak. A packet boat (1640s) originally was one that carried mails. Packet-switching attested from 1971.