PETTY
What does "PETTY" mean?
Concerned with trivial matters, or mean-spirited over small things.
Meanings
- Of little importance; trivial or minor. Let's not waste the meeting on petty details.
- Spiteful or small-minded about insignificant things. It was petty of him to bring up a mistake she made years ago.
- Of low or subordinate rank, as in 'petty officer'. He was promoted to petty officer in his second year. formal
Did you know?
- 'Petty' is just the French word 'petit' (small) wearing an English coat: a 'petty officer' is literally a 'small officer', and 'petty cash' is simply 'small cash'.
Word origin
From Old French 'petit' (small), anglicized in spelling to reflect its English pronunciation; the same root gives 'petite' and 'petit four'.
Remember it
PETTY hoards two T's the way a petty person hoards small grievances - twice as many as it needs.
A little poem
He kept a ledger of each slight, each crumb,
and weighed a kingdom out in petty sums.
couplet
Wordplay
- I gave the small officer the smallest budget I had. He took it personally - which tells you he was petty in both senses.
What it teaches
Smallness of subject is forgivable; smallness of spirit is the choice that makes you petty.
Quick facts
What does PETTY mean?
Concerned with trivial matters, or mean-spirited over small things.
Is PETTY a valid word?
Yes — PETTY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is PETTY?
PETTY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does PETTY come from?
From Old French 'petit' (small), anglicized in spelling to reflect its English pronunciation; the same root gives 'petite' and 'petit four'.
What can PETTY teach us?
Smallness of subject is forgivable; smallness of spirit is the choice that makes you petty.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.