billet vs quarter

billet

verb
  • To lodge, or be quartered, in a private house. 

  • To direct, by a ticket or note, where to lodge. 

  • To lodge soldiers, or guests, usually by order. 

noun
  • A short cutting of sugar cane produced by a harvester or used for planting. 

  • A sealed ticket for a draw or lottery. 

  • An ornament in Norman work, resembling a billet of wood, either square or round. 

  • A loop that receives the end of a buckled strap. 

  • Berth; position. 

  • An allocated space or berth in a boat or ship. 

  • A short piece of wood, especially one used as firewood. 

  • A strap that enters a buckle. 

  • A short informal letter. 

  • A written order to quarter soldiers. 

  • A rectangle used as a charge on an escutcheon. 

  • Temporary lodgings in a private residence, such as is organised for members of a visiting sports team. 

  • A place where a soldier is assigned to lodge. 

  • A semi-finished length of metal. 

quarter

verb
  • To lodge; to have a temporary residence. 

  • To provide housing for military personnel or other equipment. 

  • To divide into quarters; to divide by four. 

  • To quartersaw. 

adj
  • Consisting of a fourth part, a quarter (¹⁄₄, 25%). 

  • Related to a three-month term, a quarter of a year. 

  • Pertaining to an aspect of a quarter. 

noun
  • A fourth part of the night; one of the watches or divisions of the night. 

  • One's residence or dwelling-place; (in plural) rooms, lodgings, especially as allocated to soldiers or domestic staff. 

  • A region or place. 

  • The aftmost part of a vessel's side, roughly from the last mast to the stern. 

  • A quarter of an acre or 40 roods. 

  • Each of four equal parts into which something can be divided; a fourth part. 

  • A fourth part of the year; 3 months; a term or season. 

  • A division or section of a town or city, especially having a particular character of its own, or associated with a particular group etc. 

  • A section (of a population), especially one having a particular set of values or interests. 

  • Accommodation given to a defeated opponent; mercy; exemption from being killed. 

  • A fourth part of a pound; approximately 113 grams. 

  • A quarter-dollar, divided into 25 cents; the coin of that value minted in the United States or Canada. 

  • Each of four parts into which the earth or sky is divided, corresponding to the four cardinal points of the compass. 

  • A fourth part of a coat of arms, or the charge on it, larger than a canton and normally on the upper dexter side, formed by a perpendicular line from the top meeting a horizontal line from the side. 

  • A measure of length; originally a fourth part of an ell, now chiefly a fourth part of a yard. 

  • A quarterfinal. 

  • A measure of capacity used chiefly for grain or coal, varying greatly in quantity by time and location. 

  • A fourth part of an hour; a period of fifteen minutes, especially with reference to the quarter before or after the hour. 

  • The part on either side of a horse's hoof between the toe and heel, the side of its coffin. 

  • One of four equal periods into which a game is divided. 

  • A fourth part of a hundredweight. 

How often have the words billet and quarter occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )