Middle English Dictionary Entry
petit adj.
Entry Info
| Forms | petit adj. Also petite, (error) peter; pl. petite(s. |
| Etymology | OF petit, petite. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. petī adj.
1.
(a) Small, little; (b) insignificant, minor; also subordinate [quot.: a1500]; (c) ~ caton, Little Cato, one of the divisions of Dionysius Cato's Disticha; ~ consoude, consoude ~, the European daisy (Bellis perennis); ~ custume = peti custume [see peti adj.(b)]; ~ morel = peti morel [see peti adj. (b)]; ~ scole, a school for young children; ~ sessioun, court session dealing with minor offenses; (d) as noun: a young schoolchild; (e) in surnames and street name.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1399) Oath Bk.Colchester7 : Un Lyne Cable, Graunt iiij d., and peter [read: petit] ij d.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)14.242 : Pouerte nis but a petit [vr. pety] þinge, appereth nouȝt to his naule.
- (1420) EEWills46/30 : i petit brase morter.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)186 : A word of anger spak he thore..and be-took the devel al the remnaunt, That him be-lefte, petyt & graunt.
b
- c1390 PPl.A(1) (Vrn)8.60 : His pardoun In purgatorie is petit [vr. litel], I trouwe, Þat eny Meede of mene Men for Motynge receyueþ.
- (1436-7) Grocer Lond.(Kingdon)242 : Payd..for potacions and other diuerse petite costes..xiiij s. ix d. ob.
- c1475 Prov.Wisd.(RwlPoet 32)36 : A fayre vertew is gwode suffrance; A fowle vyce is petite [vr. pouert] veniawnce.
- a1500 Chartier Treat.Hope (Rwl A.338)68/16 : The petyte hope restith not vpon these thynges here byneþe, but oonely make waye towarde the soueraigne goodes above.
c
- c1390 Cato(1) (Vrn)p.562 : Here endet petyt caton.
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 6)30/23 : Mugworte, auance, petite consoude, wodbynd.
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 6)32/6 : Petite morel is called in fflaundres 'Naghtstach'.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)67/9 : Cosoud maior, cosoud milnen, consoud petit.
- (1442) RParl.5.43a : Ther is ones a yere a gret Cession holden..and also a petit Cession..in which petit Cessions the said Justice and Lieutenaunt..have power to receyve..all maner of Appelles.
- (1442) RParl.5.63a : The sum of v m Marcs yerely growyng and commyng in..Southampton of youre grete Customes and petit Customes there.
- c1450 Capgr.Rome (Bod 423)151 : Sche..bad him go on to þe petite skole þere beside; oute of þat skole sche bad him chese iii fauntes.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(2) (Add 33996)89 : Take hertes grece and hony and barly mele, & petit morel, and stampe hem alle to gedir.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(2) (Add 33996)135 : Take grounde swele, & daysyes, þat ys, petit consoud.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(2) (Add 33996)177 : Take bugle..mene consoud, petit consoud.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(2) (Add 33996)206 : Tak smalache..petyt morel, walwort, grynd hem wel in amorter.
d
- (1451) Capgr.St.Gilb.(Add 36704)64/14 : First was he a maystir of lernyng to þe smale petites, swech as lerne to rede, spelle, and synge.
- (1460-70) Doc.School Ipswich in Camd.16166 : [The boys..were known as] petytis, vocati Apeseyes and Song.
e
- (1086) Domesday Bk.Exch.1.50 : Aluric petit.
- (1173) in Pipe R.Soc.1936 : Godefridus Petitgrant.
- (1199) CRR(1) 1294 : Thomas Petitpas.
- (1206) CRR(2) 4267 : Henricus Petit Clerc.
- (1207) Fine R.King John452 : Willielmus Petit.
- (1248) Close R.Hen.III115 : Nicholas le Petyt, filius et heres Nicholai le Petyt.
- (1277) Close R.Edw.I384 : John Petitpeny.
- (1279) Hundred R.Tower 2783 : Edetus la Petite.
- (1297) Pleas Edw.I in BRS 1937 : Johannem Le Petytmey.
- (1298-9) in Ekwall Street-Names Lond.202 : Petit Walles.
- (1303) Feudal Aids 524 : Jacobus Petit.
- (1334) Will Court Hust.(Gldh)1.418 : [To Agnes his wife his capital tenement in] Petit Wales.
- 1402(1347) Assess.Edw.III in Archaeol.Cant.10135 : Johannes Petit.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.71vb (2.10) : In þe petit emitrice, þe pacient feleþ grete colde in his extremites, and þis colde comuly bigynneþ ageyn euen, or elles þe sone declynond.
Note: ?New cpd. Cf. Norri emitrichie, B9. petit emitrichie: 'Emitrichie in which the greatest rise in body temperature lasts 18 hours, followed by 6 hours of less torment; attributed to choler rotting within blood vessels and phlegm outside them (in some texts, the placing of the humours is the reverse); said to be compounded of continual quotidian and intermittent tertian fever.' Cf. MED peti adj.