The meaning of PETIT is petty —used chiefly in legal compounds.

PETIT definition: small; petty; minor. See examples of petit used in a sentence.

(Law) (prenominal) chiefly law of little or lesser importance; small: petit jury. [C14: from Old French: little, of obscure origin]

Jan 1, 2026 · From Middle French petit, from Old French petit. See Modern English petit, above. Attested from at least the 13th century, with use in names earlier.

Pages on food duty are responsible for taking petit fours around after handing the sweet dish.

There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the word petit, three of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Oct 28, 2025 · People started borrowing “petit” from French and using it to refer to someone or something that’s small, cute, or precious in a playful way. It’s like the digital version of calling your …

petit (adj.) late 14c., "small, little; minor, trifling, insignificant," from Old French petit "small, little, young, few in numbers" (11c.), which is probably from the stem of Late Latin pitinnus "small," a word of …

Marx himself distinguishes between the proletariat - what most people today think of as the working class - and what he calls the petit -bourgeoisie - including the peasantry, artisans, and various …

Petit (pronounced /pəˈtiː/ or /pəˈtɪt/) is an adjective of French origin meaning “small” or “little.” This term can convey various connotations based on context, including size, importance, and degree.