Petitely
/pəˈtiːtli/noun
In a petite manner; in a small, dainty, or delicate way.
Did you know?“Petite” entered English through French, while the deeper origin of French petit is uncertain and may involve a Germanic word meaning “small”; the apparently elegant term has a disputed ancestry.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin or Vulgar Latin
Latin
*pitittus
“A reconstructed term meaning “small” or “little,” proposed as an ancestor of French petit; its origin is uncertain.”
Old French
Old French
petit
“Small, little, or young.”
13th Century
Anglo-Norman/French
petit
“Small or minor; borrowed into English in legal, social, and everyday contexts.”
15th Century
English
petite
“Small or of a small build; adopted from French, especially as a feminine form.”
Modern English
English
petitely
“In a petite, small, dainty, or delicate manner.”