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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

See Examples For:

petit Petit

Pungent dried scallops are in a sweet-and-savory fudge petit four, not a classic soup.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025

A steal at $28 for three courses, diners saddle up to the counter, reminiscent of a chef’s table, for a French and Japanese-inspired amuse bouche with a main dessert, followed by petit fours.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2025

Living in Paris for a year certainly had its share of stresses, mostly because my French language skills never really advanced beyond me saying, Je parle français un petit peu, before switching to English.

From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2025

But a petit basset griffon Vendéen took best in show for the first time last year, as did a bloodhound in 2022.

From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2024

“Freedom is always a comfort,” Cecilia said, ignoring my request and thrusting a chocolate petit four into my hand.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Grigoryan cites the famous Big Mec — celebrity chef Ludo Lefebvre’s decadent, French-inspired burger at Petit Trois — which costs $38.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

“Watching them get acquired by Shein isn’t just a business story, it feels like a generational story, because we were promised that millennial retail could be different,” Petit said of the news about Everlane.

From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026

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

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026

Daniel Rodrigues, owner of Mon Petit Frere cafe in tourist hub Goa, said "the government really needs to step in".

From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026

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

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick