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petty

Etymology and origin of the English word petty

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1372
Ultimate origin
Old French (petit)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈpɛt.i/ (UK); /ˈpɛt.i/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English pety, a phonetic spelling of Old French petit (“small”) (see petit),[2][3][4][5][6] from a Romance *pittittus, a word for something very small.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Small, minor: petti-wacche, petty watch, an old name of coastguards, 1372;[3] pety probably before 1387, in Piers Plowman;[3] and in surnames from the late 12th century (Petipas, 1191).[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In English it was not at first disparaging,[2] as still in petty cash, small sums of money (1834), and petty officer (1570s).[2] Minor or subordinate in comparison with others is from 1523,[7] and of small importance, trivial, from the 1520s in Etymonline and 1581 in the OED.[2][7] Small-minded is from the 1580s.[2][7] A petty school, for little boys, is from 1555–56.[7] In law, of lesser importance, as in petty larceny, it keeps the old sense.[8] Word Origins notes that petty also gave petticoat and pettifogger.[5]

Timeline

  • 1191 – in a surname.[3]
  • 1372 – petty watch.[3]
  • 1523 – minor, subordinate.[7]
  • 1580s – small-minded.[2]
  • 1834 – petty cash.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of little importance; trivial.
  2. Narrow-minded or mean, especially over small matters.
  3. Minor or lower in rank: petty officialdom.
  4. (law) Of lesser importance: petty theft.

Word family

  • pettily
  • pettiness
  • petticoat
  • pettitoes
  • pettifog
  • pettifogger
  • petty apartheid
  • petty cash
  • petit
  • petite

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Petty.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/petty. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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