Peter - Petty

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Peter (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Petered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Petering.] [Etymol. uncertain.] To become exhausted; to run out; to fail; -- used generally with out; as, that mine has petered out. [Slang, U.S.]
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Peterel (?), n. (Zoöl.) See .
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Peterero (?), n. (Mil.) See .
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Peterman (?), n.; pl. Petermen (�). A fisherman; -- so called after the apostle Peter. [An obs. local term in Eng.] Chapman.
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Petersham (?), n. [Named after Lord Petersham.] A rough, knotted woolen cloth, used chiefly for men's overcoats; also, a coat of that material.
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Peterwort (?), n. (Bot.) See Saint Peter's-wort, under .
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{ Petiolar (?), Petiolary (?), } a. [Cf. F. pétiolarie.] (Bot.) Of or pertaining to petiole, or proceeding from it; as, a petiolar tendril; growing or supported upon a petiole; as, a petiolar gland; a petiolar bud.
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{ Petiolate (?), Petiolated (?), } a. (Bot. & Zoöl.) Having a stalk or petiole; as, a petioleate leaf; the petiolated abdomen of certain Hymenoptera.
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Petiole (?), n. [F. pétiole, fr. L. petiolus a little foot, a fruit stalk; cf. pes, pedis, a foot.] 1. (Bot.) A leafstalk; the footstalk of a leaf, connecting the blade with the stem. See Illust. of .
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2. (Zoöl.) A stalk or peduncle.
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Petioled (?), a. Petiolate.
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Petiolulate (?), a. (Bot.) Supported by its own petiolule. Gray.
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Petiolule (?), n. [Cf. F. pétiolule.] (Bot.) A small petiole, or the petiole of a leaflet.
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Petit (?), a. [F. See .] Small; little; insignificant; mean; -- Same as . [Obs., except in legal language.]
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By what small, petit hints does the mind catch hold of and recover a vanishing notion. South.
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Coloq. Petit constable , an inferior civil officer, subordinate to the high constable. -- Coloq. Petit jury , a jury of twelve men, impaneled to try causes at the bar of a court; -- so called in distinction from the grand jury. -- Coloq. Petit larceny , the stealing of goods of, or under, a certain specified small value; -- opposed to grand larceny. The distinction is abolished in England. -- Coloq. Petit maître (�). [F., lit., little master.] A fop; a coxcomb; a ladies' man. Goldsmith. -- Coloq. Petit serjeanty (Eng. Law), the tenure of lands of the crown, by the service of rendering annually some implement of war, as a bow, an arrow, a sword, a flag, etc. -- Coloq. Petit treason , formerly, in England, the crime of killing a person to whom the offender owed duty or subjection, as one's husband, master, mistress, etc. The crime is now not distinguished from murder.
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Petite (?), a. [F., fem. of petit.] Small, little; of a woman or girl, of small size and trim figure.
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Petition (?), n. [F. pétition, L. petitio, fr. petere, petitum, to beg, ask, seek; perh. akin to E. feather, or find.] 1. A prayer; a supplication; an imploration; an entreaty; especially, a request of a solemn or formal kind; a prayer to the Supreme Being, or to a person of superior power, rank, or authority; also, a single clause in such a prayer.
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A house of prayer and petition for thy people. 1 Macc. vii. 37.
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This last petition heard of all her prayer. Dryden.
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2. A formal written request addressed to an official person, or to an organized body, having power to grant it; specifically (Law), a supplication to government, in either of its branches, for the granting of a particular grace or right; -- in distinction from a memorial, which calls certain facts to mind; also, the written document.
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Coloq. Petition of right (Law), a petition to obtain possession or restitution of property, either real or personal, from the Crown, which suggests such a title as controverts the title of the Crown, grounded on facts disclosed in the petition itself. Mozley & W. -- Coloq. The Petition of Right (Eng. Hist.), the parliamentary declaration of the rights of the people, assented to by Charles I.
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Petition, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Petitioned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Petitioning.] To make a prayer or request to; to ask from; to solicit; to entreat; especially, to make a formal written supplication, or application to, as to any branch of the government; as, to petition the court; to petition the governor.
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You have . . . petitioned all the gods for my prosperity. Shak.
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Petition, v. i. To make a petition or solicitation.
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Petitionarily (?), adv. By way of begging the question; by an assumption. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
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Petitionary (?), a. 1. Supplicatory; making a petition.
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Pardon Rome, and any petitionary countrymen. Shak.
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2. Containing a petition; of the nature of a petition; as, a petitionary epistle. Swift.
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Petitionee (?), n. A person cited to answer, or defend against, a petition.
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Petitioner (?), n. One who presents a petition.
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Petitioning, n. The act of presenting apetition; a supplication.
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Petit mal (?). [F., lit., little sickness.] (Med.) The mildest form of epilepsy, with momentary faintness or unconsciousness, but without convulsions; -- opposed to grand mal.
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Petitor (?), n. [L., fr. petere to seek.] One who seeks or asks; a seeker; an applicant. [R.] Fuller.
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Petitory (?), a. [L. petitorius, fr. petere, petitum, to beg, ask: cf. F. pétitore.] Petitioning; soliciting; supplicating. Sir W. Hamilton.
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Coloq. Petitory suit or Coloq. Petitory action (Admiralty Law), a suit in which the mere title to property is litigated and sought to be enforced, as distinguished from a possessory suit; also (Scots Law), a suit wherein the plaintiff claims something as due him by the defendant. Burrill.
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Petong (?), n. (Metal.) See .
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Petralogy (?), n. See .
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Petrary (?), n. [L. petra stone. Cf. Sp. petraria, and E. .] An ancient war engine for hurling stones.
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Petre (pētẽr), n. See .
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Petrean (p�trē�n), a. [L. petraeus, Gr. petrai^os, fr. petra a rock.] Of or pertaining to rock. G. S. Faber.
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Petrel (?), n. [F. pétrel; a dim. of the name Peter, L. Petrus, Gr. � a stone (John i. 42); -- probably so called in allusion to St. Peter's walking on the sea. See .] (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of longwinged sea birds belonging to the family Procellaridæ. The small petrels, or Mother Carey's chickens, belong to Oceanites, Oceanodroma, Procellaria, and several allied genera.
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Coloq. Diving petrel , any bird of the genus Pelecanoides. They chiefly inhabit the southern hemisphere. -- Coloq. Fulmar petrel , Coloq. Giant petrel . See . -- Coloq. Pintado petrel , the Cape pigeon. See under . -- Coloq. Pintado petrel , any one of several small petrels, especially Procellaria pelagica, or Mother Carey's chicken, common on both sides of the Atlantic.
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Petrescence (?), n. The process of changing into stone; petrification.
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Petrescent (?), a. [L. petra rock, stone, Gr. �.] Petrifying; converting into stone; as, petrescent water. Boyle.
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Petrifaction (?), n. [See .] 1. The process of petrifying, or changing into stone; conversion of any organic matter (animal or vegetable) into stone, or a substance of stony hardness.
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2. The state or condition of being petrified.
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3. That which is petrified; popularly, a body incrusted with stony matter; an incrustation.
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4. Fig.: Hardness; callousness; obduracy. “Petrifaction of the soul.” Cudworth.
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Petrifactive (?), a. 1. Having the quality of converting organic matter into stone; petrifying.
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2. Pertaining to, or characterized by, petrifaction.
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The . . . petrifactive mutations of hard bodies. Sir T. Browne.
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Petrific (?), a. [Cf. F. pétrifique.] Petrifying; petrifactive.
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Death with his mace petrific, cold and dry. Milton.
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Petrificate (?), v. t. To petrify. [Obs.]
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Our hearts petrificated were. J. Hall (1646).
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Petrification (?), n. [Cf. F. pétrification. See .] 1. See .
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2. Fig.: Obduracy; callousness. Hallywell.
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Petrify (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Petrified (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Petrifying (?).] [L. petra rock, Gr. � (akin to � a stone) + -fy: cf. F. pétrifier. Cf. , , .] 1. To convert, as any animal or vegetable matter, into stone or stony substance.
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A river that petrifies any sort of wood or leaves. Kirwan.
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2. To make callous or obdurate; to stupefy; to paralyze; to transform; as by petrifaction; as, to petrify the heart. Young. “Petrifying accuracy.” Sir W. Scott.
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And petrify a genius to a dunce. Pope.
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The poor, petrified journeyman, quite unconscious of what he was doing. De Quincey.
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A hideous fatalism, which ought, logically, to petrify your volition. G. Eliot.
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Petrify, v. i. 1. To become stone, or of a stony hardness, as organic matter by calcareous deposits.
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2. Fig.: To become stony, callous, or obdurate.
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Like Niobe we marble grow,
And petrify with grief. Dryden.
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Petrine (?), a. Of or pertaining to St. Peter; as, the Petrine Epistles.
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Petro- (?). A combining form from Gr. petra a rock, petros a stone; as, petrology, petroglyphic.
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Petrogale (p�trŏgȧlē), n. [NL., fr. Gr. petra a rock + galh^ a weasel.] (Zoöl.) Any Australian kangaroo of the genus Petrogale, as the rock wallaby (Petrogale penicillata).
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Petroglyphic (?), a. Of or pertaining to petroglyphy.
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Petroglyphy (?), n. [Petro + Gr. glyfein to carve.] The art or operation of carving figures or inscriptions on rock or stone.
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{ Petrographic (?), Petrographical (?), } a. Pertaining to petrography.
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Petrography (?), n. [Petro + -graphy.] 1. The art of writing on stone.
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2. The scientific description of rocks; that department of science which investigates the constitution of rocks; petrology.
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Petrohyoid (?), a. [Petro + hyoid.] (Anat.) Pertaining to petrous, oe periotic, portion of the skull and the hyoid arch; as, the petrohyoid muscles of the frog.
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Petrol (?), n. Petroleum. [R.]
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Petrolatum (?), n. (Chem. & Pharm.) A semisolid unctuous substance, neutral, and without taste or odor, derived from petroleum by distilling off the lighter portions and purifying the residue. It is a yellowish, fatlike mass, transparent in thin layers, and somewhat fluorescent. It is used as a bland protective dressing, and as a substitute for fatty materials in ointments. U. S. Pharm.
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☞ Petrolatum is the official name for the purified product. Cosmoline and vaseline are commercial names for substances essentially the same, but differing slightly in appearance and consistency or fusibility.
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Petroleum (?), n. [NL., fr. L. petra a rock + oleum oil: cf. F. pétrole. Cf. , and .] Rock oil, mineral oil, or natural oil, a dark brown or greenish inflammable liquid, which, at certain points, exists in the upper strata of the earth, from whence it is pumped, or forced by pressure of the gas attending it. It consists of a complex mixture of various hydrocarbons, largely of the methane series, but may vary much in appearance, composition, and properties. It is refined by distillation, and the products include kerosene, benzine, gasoline, paraffin, etc.
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Coloq. Petroleum spirit , a volatile liquid obtained in the distillation of crude petroleum at a temperature of 170° Fahr., or below. The term is rather loosely applied to a considerable range of products, including benzine and ligroin. The terms petroleum ether, and naphtha, are sometimes applied to the still more volatile products, including rhigolene, gasoline, cymogene, etc.
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{ Pétroleur (?), n. m. Pétroleuse (?), n. f. } [F.] One who makes use of petroleum for incendiary purposes.
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Petroline (?), n. (Chem.) A paraffin obtained from petroleum from Rangoon in India, and practically identical with ordinary paraffin.
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{ Petrologic (?), Petrological (?), } a. Of or pertaining to petrology.
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Petrologically, adv. According to petrology.
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Petrologist (?), n. One who is versed in petrology.
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Petrology (?), n. [Petro + -logy.] 1. The department of science which is concerned with the mineralogical and chemical composition of rocks, and with their classification: lithology.
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2. A treatise on petrology.
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Petromastoid (?), a. [Petro + mastoid.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the petrous and mastoid parts of the temporal bone, periotic.
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Petromyzont (?), n. [Petro + Gr. � to suck in.] (Zoöl.) A lamprey.
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Petronel (?), n. [OF. petrinal, fr. peitrine, petrine, the breast, F. poitrine; so called because it was placed against the breast in order to fire. See .] A sort of hand cannon, or portable firearm, used in France in the 15th century.
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Petrosal (?), a. [See .] (Anat.) (a) Hard; stony; petrous; as, the petrosal bone; petrosal part of the temporal bone. (b) Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the petrous, or petrosal, bone, or the corresponding part of the temporal bone.
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Coloq. Petrosal bone (Anat.), a bone corresponding to the petrous portion of the temporal bone of man; or one forming more or less of the periotic capsule.
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Petrosal, n. (Anat.) (a) A petrosal bone. (b) The auditory capsule. Owen.
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Petrosilex (?), n. [Petro + silex.] (Min.) Felsite.
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Petrosilicious (?), a. Containing, or consisting of, petrosilex.
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Petrostearine (?), n. [Petro + stearine.] A solid unctuous material, of which candles are made.
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Petrous (?), a. [L. petrosus, fr. petra a stone.] 1. Like stone; hard; stony; rocky; as, the petrous part of the temporal bone. Hooper.
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2. (Anat.) Same as .
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Pettichaps (?), n. (Zoöl.) See .
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Petticoat (?), n. (Zoöl.) [Petty + coat.] A loose under-garment worn by women, and covering the body below the waist.
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Coloq. Petticoat government , government by women, whether in politics or domestic affairs. [Colloq.] -- Coloq. Petticoat pipe (Locomotives), a short, flaring pipe surrounding the blast nozzle in the smoke box, to equalize the draft.
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Pettifog (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pettifogged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pettifogging (?).] [Petty + fog to pettifog.] To do a petty business as a lawyer; also, to do law business in a petty or tricky way. “He takes no money, but pettifogs gratis.” S. Butler.
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Pettifog, v. t. To advocate like a pettifogger; to argue trickily; as, to pettifog a claim. [Colloq.]
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Pettifogger (?), n. A lawyer who deals in petty cases; an attorney whose methods are mean and tricky; an inferior lawyer.
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A pettifogger was lord chancellor. Macaulay.
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Pettifoggery (?), n.; pl. pettifoggeries (�). The practice or arts of a pettifogger; disreputable tricks; quibbles.
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Quirks of law, and pettifoggeries. Barrow.
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Pettifogging (?), a. Paltry; quibbling; mean.
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Pettifogging, n. Pettifoggery.
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Pettifogulize (?), v. i. To act as a pettifogger; to use contemptible tricks. De Quincey.
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Pettily, adv. In a petty manner; frivolously.
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Pettiness, n. The quality or state of being petty or paltry; littleness; meanness.
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Pettish (?), a. [From .] Fretful; peevish; moody; capricious; inclined to ill temper. “A pettish kind of humor.” Sterne. -- Pettishly, adv. -- Pettishness, n.
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Pettitoes (?), n. pl. [Petty + toes.] The toes or feet of a pig, -- often used as food; sometimes, in contempt, the human feet. Shak.
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Petto (?), n. [It., fr. L. pectus.] The breast.
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Coloq. In petto , in the breast; hence, in secrecy; in reserve.
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Petty (?), a. [Compar. Pettier (?); superl. Pettiest.] [OE. petit, F. petit; probably of Celtic origin, and akin to E. piece. Cf. .] Little; trifling; inconsiderable; also, inferior; subordinate; as, a petty fault; a petty prince. Denham.
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Like a petty god
I walked about, admired of all. Milton.
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Coloq. Petty averages . See under . -- Coloq. Petty cash , money expended or received in small items or amounts. -- Coloq. Petty officer , a subofficer in the navy, as a gunner, etc., corresponding to a noncommissionned officer in the army.
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☞ For petty constable, petty jury, petty larceny, petty treason, See .
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Syn. -- Little; diminutive; inconsiderable; inferior; trifling; trivial; unimportant; frivolous.
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