Petition
/pəˈtɪʃ.ən/noun
A formal request made to a person or authority, often in writing.
Did you know?Petition comes from Latin *petere* (“to seek, ask, attack”), the same root behind *compete* and *impetus*—so the word carries both request and force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pet-
“to rush at, fly to, seek”
Latin
Latin
petere
“to seek, ask for, attack, aim at”
Latin
Latin
petitiō
“a seeking, request, attack”
Old French
Old French
petition
“a request, supplication”
Middle English
English
peticion
“a formal request or entreaty”
Modern English
English
petition
“a formal written request to an authority”