Pet·it a.  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 maître [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.

 ◄ ►