a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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World English Dictionary

petit (ˈpɛtɪ)

—*adj*
	chiefly (prenominal) law of little or lesser importance; small: petit jury

[C14: from Old French: little, of obscure origin]

Petit (French pəti)

—n
	Roland (rɔlɑ̃). born 1924, French ballet dancer and choreographer. His innovative ballets include Carmen (1949), Kraanerg (1969), and The Blue Angel (1985); he also choreographed films, such as Anything Goes (1956) and Black Tights (1960)

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

petit

mid-14c., "trifling," from O.Fr. petit "small" (11c.), probably from stem of L.L. pitinnus "small," of uncertain origin, perhaps ultimately from Celtic root *pett- "part, piece, bit" (see piece). Attested as a surname from 1086. Replaced by petty (q.v.) in most usages, except

EXPAND

in established forms such as petit bourgeois "conventional middle-class" (1853, used by Charlotte Brontë earlier than by Marx or Engels; petty bourgeois, however, is attested from 1850), petit mal (1842, "little evil," mild form of epilepsy), and petit four (1884), which in Fr. means "little oven," from O.Fr. four "oven," from L. furnus.

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petit

pet·it