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• petit
  petit

  adjective

  small; petty; minor.
• Petit
  Petit

  noun

  Roland (rɔlɑ̃). 1924–2011, 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)

petit

American  

[pet-ee, puh-tee] / ˈpɛt i, pəˈti /

adjective

Law.

1. small; petty; minor.

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Petit ¹ British  

/ pəti /

noun

1. Roland (rɔlɑ̃). 1924–2011, 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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petit ² British  

/ ˈpɛtɪ /

adjective

1. (prenominal) law of little or lesser importance; small

   petit jury

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Etymology

Origin of petit

1325–75; Middle English < Middle French; see petty

Example Sentences

Haiti's Le Nouvelliste newspaper first reported the death toll, citing Petit.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Separately, Annick Lemoine, who heads the Petit Palais, will take over as director of the Musee d'Orsay, according to the official journal published on Wednesday.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

They fled hunger in Venezuela only to find poverty and violence across the border in Colombia -- but for Franklin Petit and his family, this life of hardship is still better than their old one.

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

Between 1774 and 1785, Marie Antoinette redesigned the house and gardens of Le Petit Trianon, a satellite chateau of Versailles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

“We’re reading Le Petit Prince in French class,” Wes says.

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick