n. & v.
n. 1 a a fleshy boneless piece of meat from near the loins or the ribs. b (in full fillet steak) the undercut of a sirloin. c a boned longitudinal section of a fish. 2 a a headband, ribbon, string, or narrow band, for binding the hair or worn round the head. b a band or bandage. 3 a a thin narrow strip of anything. b a raised rim or ridge on any surface. 4 Archit. a a narrow flat band separating two mouldings. b a small band between the flutes of a column. 5 Carpentry an added triangular piece of wood to round off an interior angle. 6 a a plain line impressed on the cover of a book. b a roller used to impress this. 7 Heraldry a horizontal division of a shield, a quarter of the depth of a chief.
v.tr. (filleted, filleting) 1 a remove bones from (fish or meat). b divide (fish or meat) into fillets. 2 bind or provide with a fillet or fillets. 3 encircle with an ornamental band. filleter n.
[ ME f. OF filet f. Rmc dimin. of L filum thread ]