Petitioner
/ˌpɛtɪˈʃənər/noun
A person who formally asks a court, government, or authority to take a particular action.
Did you know?The Latin root petere could mean both “to seek or request” and “to attack,” linking legal petitioning with the imagery of aggressively pursuing an objective.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pet-
“To rush, fly, seek, or aim toward something.”
Classical Latin
Latin
petere
“To seek, ask for, aim at, or attack.”
Classical Latin
Latin
petitio
“A seeking, request, claim, or legal action.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
petitionem
“A formal request or legal claim; the source of the French form.”
13th–14th Century
Old French
petition
“A formal request or appeal addressed to an authority.”
Late 14th Century
English
petitionere
“A person who makes a petition; formed from petition plus the agent suffix -er.”
Modern English
English
petitioner
“Someone who formally appeals to an authority, especially through a legal or governmental request.”
Explore more surprising origins