Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Petit?

\Pet"it\, a. [F. See {Petty}.] Small; little; insignificant; mean; -- Same as {Petty}. [Obs., except in legal language.] By what small, petit hints does the mind catch hold of and recover a vanishing notion. --South. {Petit constable}, an inferior civil officer, subordinate to the high constable. {Petit jury}, a jury of twelve men, impaneled to try causes at the bar of a court; -- so called in distinction from the grand jury. {Petit larceny}, the stealing of goods of, or under, a certain specified small value; -- opposed to grand larceny. The distinction is abolished in England. {Petit ma[^i]tre}. [F., lit., little master.] A fop; a coxcomb; a ladies' man. --Goldsmith. {Petit serjeanty} (Eng. Law), the tenure of lands of the crown, by the service of rendering annually some implement of war, as a bow, an arrow, a sword, a flag, etc. {Petit treason}, formerly, in England, the crime of killing a person to whom the offender owed duty or subjection, as one's husband, master, mistress, etc. The crime is now not distinguished from murder.