Petit
/pəˈtiː/noun
Small or delicately proportioned, especially in reference to a woman’s clothing size or stature.
Did you know?English also preserved petit in legal phrases such as “petit jury,” originally meaning the smaller trial jury, contrasted with the grand jury.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin / Vulgar Latin
Latin
*pitittus
“Small; little— a reconstructed form proposed as the source of Old French petit, though its deeper origin is uncertain.”
10th–12th Century
Old French
petit
“Small, little, or insignificant.”
12th–14th Century
Anglo-Norman French
petit
“Small; minor; of lesser rank or importance.”
14th Century
Middle English
petit
“Small or inferior; also used in legal and social terminology.”
Modern English
English
petit
“Small or delicately proportioned, especially in clothing and descriptions of stature.”