Etymology

Pettigrew

P3E1T1T1I1G2R1E1W4

Today it means: A surname. Full definition →

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The story

Unknown, although possibly from the French phrase "petit cru" (small growth) from Anglo-Norman French "petit creu", thus as a nickname for a small/short man. Other interpretations include from the French phrase "pie de grue" (crane's foot), i.e., someone with long legs (cf. pedigree, from Anglo-French "pe de gru", a variant of Old French pied de gru, "foot of a crane"). Attested from the 13th century as an English surname.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.