Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Mallet \Mal"let\, n. [F. maillet, dim. of mail. See {Mall} a
   beetle.]
   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.

Source : WordNet®

mallet
     n 1: a sports implement with a long handle and a head like a
          hammer; used in sports (polo or croquet) to hit a ball
     2: a light drumstick with a rounded head that is used to strike
        percussion instruments
     3: 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 [syn: {beetle}]