thumb|[[Pearl millet]]
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae<!--within the grass family Poaceae-->.
Millets are important crops in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa, especially in India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger, with 97% of production in developing countries. The crop is favoured for its productivity and short growing season under hot dry conditions. Finger millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, little millet, kodo millet, browntop millet and foxtail millet are other important crop species.
Millets may have been consumed by humans for about 7,000 years and potentially had "a pivotal role in the rise of multi-crop agriculture and settled farming societies".
Etymology
The word millet is derived via Old French millet, millot from Latin millium, 'millet', ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mele-, 'to crush'.
Description
Characteristics
Millets are small-grained, annual, warm-weather cereals belonging to the grass family. They are highly tolerant of drought and other extreme weather conditions and have a similar nutrient content to other major cereals.
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File:Finger millet 3 11-21-02.jpg|Finger millet in the field
File:Panicum miliaceum0.jpg|Ripe head of proso millet
File:Millet In Kerala-3.jpg|Sprouting millet plants
</gallery>
Taxonomic history
In 1753, Carl Linnaeus described foxtail millet as Panicum italicum. Finger millet was described as Eleusine coracana by Joseph Gaertner in 1788. In 1812, Palisot de Beauvois grouped several taxa into Setaria italica.
Evolution
Phylogeny
The millets are closely related to sorghum and maize within the PACMAD clade of grasses, and more distantly to the cereals of the BOP clade such as wheat and barley.