petit

P3E1T1I1T1
UK/ˈpɛti/UK/pəˈtiː/US/ˈpɛtət/US/pəˈti/

adjective

Petite: small, little.

Similar
brevier
OriginMiddle English petit ← Old French petit ← Late Latin *pitittus →
Less commonScrabble 7
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Meanings

petit1

adjectivepetit (comparative more petit, superlative most petit)

comparative more petit · superlative most petit

  1. uncommonPetite: 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
  2. Petty, in its various senses:
    1. obsoleteFew in number.
    2. uncommonUnimportant; cheap; easily replaced.
    3. lawSmall, minor.
    4. archaicSecondary; lower in rank.
nounpetit (plural petits)

plural petits

  1. obsoleteplural normallyA little schoolboy.
  2. obsoleterareA kind of pigeon.

petit2

nounpetit (uncountable)
  1. dateduncountableFrench and German contextsmediaSynonym of brevier.

    Synonyms: brevier

Petit3

proper noun
  1. A surname.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of brevier.

Similar
brevier
Also see
brevier

Origin

petit · adjective, noun

  1. Proto-Celtic*pett-“part, bit, piece”
  2. Latin*pit-
  3. Late Latin*pitittus
  4. Old Frenchpetit
  5. Middle Englishpetit
  6. Englishpetit

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.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin

Full word history & related roots →

petit · noun

  1. GermanPetit“brevier”
  2. Frenchpetit“brevier”
  3. Englishpetit

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

More words from French, German

Full word history & related roots →

Petit · proper noun

  1. FrenchPetit
  2. EnglishPetit

From French Petit.

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Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

petti
Cite this entry
APA

petit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petit

MLA

“petit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petit. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “petit,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petit.

Source: petit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.