Petty
/ˈpɛti/noun
Of little importance; trivial or minor.
Did you know?Its history runs through Old French *petit*, the same source behind *petit* in English phrases like *petit jury*, showing how “smallness” became a legal and social category.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peig-
“to be small or little”
Latin
Latin
pitinnus
“small, tiny”
Old French
Old French
petit
“small, little”
Middle English
English
petit
“small; minor; insignificant”
Modern English
English
petty
“of little importance; trivial”