petit meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

petit

adj

UK /ˈpɛti/ · US /ˈpɛtət/

Etymology From Middle English petit, from Old French petit, from Late Latin *pitittus, diminutive of Latin *pit-, possibly from Proto-Celtic *pett- (“part, bit, piece”) (see Latin pettia), or of imitative origin. Compare also Latin pitinnus (“small”), pitulus, Italian pezza. Doublet of petty.

1

Uncommon, Of size Petite: small, little.

And by what small, petit Hints does the Mind catch hold of, and recover a vanishing Notion?1684 or 1685 February 22, Robert South, A Sermon preached at Westminster-Abbey

› Petty, in its various senses:

2

Obsolete Few in number.

3

Uncommon, Of objects Unimportant; cheap; easily replaced.

4

Law Of scale Small, minor.

5

Archaic Secondary; lower in rank.

Derived terms: 25 terms
petit bag, petit bourgeois, petit bribing, petit-bribing, petit canon, petit cape, petit captain, petit chapman, petit constable, petit custom, petit final, petit god, petit juror, petit jury, petit larceny, petit maître, petit morel, petit officer, petit pâté, petit sergeant, petit sergeanty, petit serjeanty, petit session, petit souper, petit treason
Related terms: petite, petty, petit gâteau, puisne, puny

petit

noun

Etymology From Middle English petit, from Old French petit, from Late Latin *pitittus, diminutive of Latin *pit-, possibly from Proto-Celtic *pett- (“part, bit, piece”) (see Latin pettia), or of imitative origin. Compare also Latin pitinnus (“small”), pitulus, Italian pezza. Doublet of petty.

1

Obsolete, Plural normally A little schoolboy.

2

Obsolete, Rare A kind of pigeon.

petit

noun

Etymology From French petit (“brevier”) directly or via German Petit (“brevier”).

1

Media, Printing, Publishing Dated Synonym of brevier.

French and German contexts