peter

¹

[pee-ter]

verb (used without object)

1. to diminish gradually and stop; dwindle to nothing; gradually come to an end (usually followed by out oraway ): The hearings petered to an inevitable conclusion.

   The criticism seems to have petered out.

   The hearings petered to an inevitable conclusion.

2. to tire; become exhausted (usually followed byout ).

   I began to peter out after walking about 2 miles.

peter

²

[pee-ter]

noun

Slang: Vulgar.

1. penis.

peter

³

[pee-ter]

noun

Whist.

1. a signal for an echo.

Peter

⁴

[pee-ter]

noun

1. Also called Simon Peter. died a.d. 67?, one of the 12 apostles and the reputed author of two of the Epistles.

2. either of these two Epistles in the New Testament, I Peter or II Peter.

3. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter P.

4. a male given name.

peter

¹

/ ˈpiːtə /

verb

1. (intr; foll by out or away) to fall (off) in volume, intensity, etc, and finally cease

   the cash petered out in three months

peter

²

/ ˈpiːtə /

verb

1. to play a high card before a low one in a suit, usually a conventional signal of a doubleton holding or of strength in that suit

noun

1. the act of petering

peter

³

/ ˈpiːtə /

noun

1. a safe, till, or cash box

2. a prison cell

3. the witness box in a courtroom

4. a slang word for penis

Peter

⁴

/ ˈpiːtə /

noun

1. Saint. Also called: Simon Peter. died ?67 _ad , a fisherman of Bethsaida, who became leader of the apostles and is regarded by Roman Catholics as the first pope; probably martyred at Rome. Feast day: June 29 or Jan 18

2. either of two epistles traditionally ascribed to Peter (in full The First Epistle and The Second Epistle of Peter )

Peter

1. Chief among the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, he was a fisherman, originally named Simon (and often called Simon Peter). Jesus gave him the name Rock, of which “Peter” is a translation. Peter showed great faith but also exhibited great failings (see Get thee behind me, Satan). In the frightening hours before the Crucifixion, Peter three times denied being a follower of Jesus, just as Jesus had predicted he would. Nevertheless, Peter went on to become the leader of the early Christians (see also Christian) (see Pentecost), thus fulfilling another prophecy of Jesus, who had said of Peter, “Upon this rock I will build my church …. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

The great church of the Vatican, Saint Peter's Basilica, was later built on what was believed to be the site of his burial.

Peter is often depicted holding keys. Roman Catholics maintain a number of traditions about Peter: that he was the first of the popes, for example, and that he was martyred at Rome by being crucified upside down, because he refused to be crucified as Jesus had been.

Word History and Origins

Origin of peter¹

First recorded in 1845–50; origin uncertain

Origin of peter²

First recorded in 1870–75; generic use of the proper name

Origin of peter³

First recorded in 1885–90; from blue peter

Origin of peter⁴

Middle English; Old English Petrus < Latin < Greek Pétros stone, translation of Syriac kēfā

Word History and Origins

Origin of peter¹

C19: of unknown origin

Origin of peter²

C20: perhaps a special use of _peter ¹ (to fall off in power)

Origin of peter³

C17 (meaning a case): from the name Peter

Example Sentences

In “Mrs. Dalloway,” Clarissa’s former suitor Peter Walsh asks himself at the party’s end what it is that fills him with such excitement.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Joyce’s Leopold Bloom and Woolf’s Peter Walsh “are wanderers like Odysseus. Molly Bloom and Clarissa Dalloway are the women to whom Bloom and Peter return, as Odysseus returns to Penelope.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Peter J. Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, said in a statement Friday he appointed himself to the role after several others declined to take it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Peter Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, said in a statement on Friday that he was stepping in to oversee the case.

Read more on Barron's

“We need the numbers,” said Peter Cardillo, chief markets economist at Spartan Capital Securities.

Read more on MarketWatch