petty English · revision 8022

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1372|origins=fro petit}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈpɛt.i/ ''(UK)''; /ˈpɛt.i/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English pety, a phonetic spelling of Old French [[m|fro|petit|t=small]] (see [[petit]]),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(Cresswell 2021)^(NODE 1998) from a Romance *pittittus, a word for something very small.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Small, minor: petti-wacche, petty watch, an old name of coastguards, 1372;^(Barnhart 1988) pety probably before 1387, in ''Piers Plowman'';^(Barnhart 1988) and in surnames from the late 12th century (Petipas, 1191).^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In English it was not at first disparaging,^(Etymonline) as still in ''petty cash'', small sums of money (1834), and ''petty officer'' (1570s).^(Etymonline) Minor or subordinate in comparison with others is from 1523,^(OED 1989) and of small importance, trivial, from the 1520s in Etymonline and 1581 in the OED.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) Small-minded is from the 1580s.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) A petty school, for little boys, is from 1555–56.^(OED 1989) In law, of lesser importance, as in ''petty larceny'', it keeps the old sense.^(Collins 2023) Word Origins notes that petty also gave [[petticoat]] and pettifogger.^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1191 – in a surname.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1372 – petty watch.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1523 – minor, subordinate.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1580s – small-minded.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1834 – petty cash.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Of little importance; [[trivial]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Narrow-minded or mean, especially over small matters.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Minor or lower in rank: ''petty officialdom''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(law)'' Of lesser importance: ''petty theft''.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[pettily]]

+ * [[pettiness]]

+ * [[petticoat]]

+ * [[pettitoes]]

+ * [[pettifog]]

+ * [[pettifogger]]

+ * [[petty apartheid]]

+ * [[petty cash]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[petit]]

+ * [[petite]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}