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petty

9 dictionary results for: Petty

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

pet·ty

[pet-ee] Pronunciation Key

–adjective, -ti·er, -ti·est.

1.	of little or no importance or consequence: petty grievances.

2.	of lesser or secondary importance, merit, etc.; minor: petty considerations.

3.	having or showing narrow ideas, interests, etc.: petty minds.

4.	mean or ungenerous in small or trifling things: a petty person.

5.	showing or caused by meanness of spirit: a petty revenge.

6.	of secondary rank, esp. in relation to others of the same class or kind: petty states; a petty tyrant.

[Origin: 1325–75; ME peti(t) small, minor < OF petit < Gallo-Romance *pittīttus, of expressive orig.

]

—Related forms

pet·ti·ly, adverb

pet·ti·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. nugatory, negligible, inconsiderable, slight. Petty, paltry, trifling, trivial apply to something that is so insignificant as to be almost unworthy of notice. Petty implies contemptible insignificance and littleness, inferiority and small worth: petty quarrels. Paltry is applied to something that is beneath one's notice, even despicable: a paltry amount. Something that is trifling is so unimportant and inconsiderable as to be practically negligible: a trifling error. Something that is trivial is slight, insignificant, and even in incongruous contrast to something that is significant or important: a trivial remark; a trivial task. 3. small. 4. stingy, miserly.

—Antonyms 1. important. 4. generous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Pet·ty

[pet-ee] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	Richard, born 1937, U.S. racing-car driver.

2.	William, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, 1st Marquis of Lansdowne. Lansdowne, 1st Marquis of.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

pet·it also pet·ty (pět'ē) Pronunciation Key
adj. Law
Lesser; minor.

[Middle English, from Old French.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

pet·ty (pět'ē) Pronunciation Key
adj. pet·ti·er, pet·ti·est

Of small importance; trivial: a petty grievance.
Marked by narrowness of mind, ideas, or views.
Marked by meanness or lack of generosity, especially in trifling matters.
Secondary in importance or rank; subordinate. See Synonyms at trivial.
Law Variant of petit.

[Middle English peti, from Old French, variant of petit; see petit.]

pet'ti·ly adv., pet'ti·ness n.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
petty

1393, "small," from O.Fr. petit "small" (see petit). In Eng., not originally disparaging (cf. petty cash, 1834, petty officer, 1577). Meaning "of small importance" is recorded from 1523; that of "small-minded" is from 1581. An old name for "Northern Lights" was petty dancers.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

petty
adjective
1.	inferior in rank or status; "the junior faculty"; "a lowly corporal"; "petty officialdom"; "a subordinate functionary" [syn: junior-grade]
2.	(informal) small and of little importance; "a fiddling sum of money"; "a footling gesture"; "our worries are lilliputian compared with those of countries that are at war"; "a little (or small) matter"; "a dispute over niggling details"; "limited to petty enterprises"; "piffling efforts"; "giving a police officer a free meal may be against the law, but it seems to be a picayune infraction"
3.	contemptibly narrow in outlook; "petty little comments"; "disgusted with their small-minded pettiness"
noun
1.	larceny of property having a value less than some amount (the amount varies by locale) [syn: petit larceny] [ant: grand larceny]

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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: pet·ty
Pronunciation: 'pe-tE
Function: adjective
: relatively minor in degree petty offense punishable by not more than six months in prison> —compare GRAND

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U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Petty, TX Zip code(s): 75470

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Petty

Pet"ty\, a. [Compar. Pettier; superl. Pettiest.] [OE. petit, F. petit; probably of Celtic origin, and akin to E. piece. Cf. Petit.] Little; trifling; inconsiderable; also, inferior; subordinate; as, a petty fault; a petty prince. --Denham.

Like a petty god I walked about, admired of all. --Milton.

Petty averages. See under Average.

Petty cash, money expended or received in small items or amounts.

Petty officer, a subofficer in the navy, as a gunner, etc., corresponding to a noncommissionned officer in the army.

Note: For petty constable, petty jury, petty larceny, petty treason, See Petit.

Syn: Little; diminutive; inconsiderable; inferior; trifling; trivial; unimportant; frivolous.

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