n. [ Prob. of imitative origin; cf. OD. piewit, D. kievit, G. kibitz. ] (Zool.) (a) The lapwing. (b) The European black-headed, or laughing, gull (Xema ridibundus). See under Laughing. (c) The pewee. [ Written also peevit, peewit, pewet. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. See Petty. ] Small; little; insignificant; mean; -- Same as Petty. [ Obs., except in legal language. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

By what small, petit hints does the mind catch hold of and recover a vanishing notion. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖a. [ F., fem. of petit. ] Small, little; -- used especially of a woman or girl, of small size and trim figure; as, her petite figure.
Syn. -- bantam, diminutive, lilliputian, midget, tiny. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ F., fem. of petit. ] 1. A size category of women's clothing, for women with less than average height. [ PJC ]

2. An aricle of women's clothing classified in the petite{ 1 } size category. [ PJC ]

3. A girl or woman whose figure is best fit by a petite{ 1 } garment. [ PJC ]

n. (Rhetoric, Logic) The fallacy of assuming the conclusion in the premises; begging the question.
Syn. -- petitio principii. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Petitioned p. pr. & vb. n. Petitioning. ] To make a prayer or request to; to ask from; to solicit; to entreat; especially, to make a formal written supplication, or application to, as to any branch of the government; as, to petition the court; to petition the governor. [ 1913 Webster ]

You have . . . petitioned all the gods for my prosperity. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To make a petition or solicitation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. pétition, L. petitio, fr. petere, petitum, to beg, ask, seek; perh. akin to E. feather, or find. ] 1. A prayer; a supplication; an imploration; an entreaty; especially, a request of a solemn or formal kind; a prayer to the Supreme Being, or to a person of superior power, rank, or authority; also, a single clause in such a prayer. [ 1913 Webster ]

A house of prayer and petition for thy people. 1 Macc. vii. 37. [ 1913 Webster ]

This last petition heard of all her prayer. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A formal written request addressed to an official person, or to an organized body, having power to grant it. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Specifically: (Law), A request to government, in either of its branches, for the granting of a particular grace or right, or for the legislature to take a specific action; -- in distinction from a memorial, which calls certain facts to mind. The petition may be signed by one or any number of persons. [ 1913 Webster + PJC ]

4. The written document containing a petition (senses 1 or 2). [ 1913 Webster ]

Petition of right (Law), a petition to obtain possession or restitution of property, either real or personal, from the Crown, which suggests such a title as controverts the title of the Crown, grounded on facts disclosed in the petition itself. Mozley & W. --
The Petition of Right (Eng. Hist.), the parliamentary declaration of the rights of the people, assented to by Charles I. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. By way of begging the question; by an assumption. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Supplicatory; making a petition. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pardon Rome, and any petitionary countrymen. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Containing a petition; of the nature of a petition; as, a petitionary epistle. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A person cited to answer, or defend against, a petition. [ 1913 Webster ]