petit
petit Lexical Profile
petit Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
In law, denoting a lesser, minor, or ordinary degree of an offense, writ, or jury (used in contrast to 'grand').
"After the grand jury handed down the indictment, a twelve-member petit jury was empaneled to hear the trial."
Small in size, scale, or rank (used chiefly in borrowed French culinary, artistic, and sociological expressions).
"The bakery specializes in delicate French pastries and petit fours decorated with pastel fondant."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'petit' (principally used in fixed legal, culinary, or French-derived compounds such as 'petit jury' or 'petit larceny', and often pronounced like 'petty') with 'petite' (used to describe a woman of small, slender build, or clothing sizes).
• Rhymes for petit
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French 'petit' ('small, little'), from Vulgar Latin *pittittus, an expressive or nursery word for something tiny, the same root that yielded English 'petty'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.