Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hamlet \Ham"let\, n. [OWE. hamelet, OF. hamelet, dim. of hamel,
   F. hameau, LL. hamellum, a dim. of German origin; cf. G. heim
   home. [root]220. See {Home}.]
   A small village; a little cluster of houses in the country.

         The country wasted, and the hamlets burned. --Dryden.

   Syn: Village; neighborhood. See {Village}.

Source : WordNet®

hamlet
     n 1: a community of people smaller than a village [syn: {crossroads}]
     2: the hero of William Shakespeare's tragedy who hoped to
        avenge the murder of his father
     3: a settlement smaller than a town [syn: {village}]