A smooth pebble or rounded stone, particularly one used historically for paving or ballast in ships.
From French 'galet' (pebble), derived from Old Norse 'galli' (stone), reflecting medieval maritime trade terminology where ships needed smooth stones for ballast.
Ships loaded galets as ballast because they were free, durable, and when dumped in foreign ports, they accidentally created the modern science of understanding ancient trade routes through pebble analysis.
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