What does petit mean?
Petit is an adjective borrowed from French meaning small, often with an additional sense of delicacy, refinement, or fashionable charm. In contemporary English it is used chiefly before nouns, particularly in descriptions of jewelry, clothing, food, and decorative objects: a petit diamond might refer to a small stone, while a petit four is a small iced cake. The word's French associations can make it sound elegant and luxurious, especially in commercial and fashion contexts. It is less common in general conversation, where using petit for an ordinary small object may sound affected or overly sophisticated. Although petite is closely related and is now more familiar in English, petit remains useful when emphasizing small scale or a refined visual effect rather than a person's clothing size. The term also appears in established borrowed expressions such as petit point lace and petit mal.
adjectiveSmall in size or scale, often in a delicate, refined, or fashionable way. It is most often used attributively in contexts such as fashion, jewelry, food, and needlework.
- Small in size, scale, or degree, often with a sense of delicacy, refinement, or fashionable charm.
"She wore a petite silk blouse and a delicate gold necklace."
"The jeweller presented a collection of petite rings and bracelets."
"The restaurant is known for its delicate soups and petit fours."
Borrowed directly from French, petit gives ordinary English a fashionable way to say that something is small.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of petit
Petit entered English from French, where it means small. French inherited the word from Old French petit, which developed from the Latin adjective petītus, meaning small or little; that form is generally traced to Latin petere, “to seek,” and its deeper Indo-European associations. The same Latin root also underlies English words such as petition, perpetuity, petty, and pitance, although their modern meanings have diverged considerably.
Related word forms
How petit is actually used
In English, petit is usually attributive and occurs most often in fashion, jewelry, food, and decorative arts. It can sound affected or overly Continental if used for ordinary objects when plain words such as small or little would be more natural.
Easily confused with petit
Petit means small or diminutive in general, while petite is the form conventionally used to describe a woman's clothing size or a woman who is small in stature.
Petit means small, refined, or fashionable, whereas petty more often means trivial, narrow-minded, or of minor importance.