mallet Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a sports implement with a long handle and a head like a hammer; used in sports (polo or croquet) to hit a ball
  2. noun a light drumstick with a rounded head that is used to strike such percussion instruments as chimes, kettledrums, marimbas, glockenspiels, etc.
    hammer.
  3. noun a tool resembling a hammer but with a large head (usually wooden); used to drive wedges or ram down paving stones or for crushing or beating or flattening or smoothing
    beetle.

WordNet

Mal"let noun
Etymology
F. maillet, dim. of mail. See Mall a beetle.
Definitions
  1. A small maul with a short handle, -- used esp. for driving a tool, as a chisel or the like; also, a light beetle with a long handle, -- used in playing croquet.

Webster 1913