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petty

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Petty  \Pet"ty\,  a.  [Compar.  {Pettier};  superl.  {Pettiest}.]  [OE. 
  petit,  F.  petit;  probably  of  Celtic  origin,  and  akin  to  E. 
  piece.  Cf  {Petit}.] 
  Little;  trifling;  inconsiderable;  also  inferior; 
  subordinate;  as  a  petty  fault;  a  petty  prince.  --Denham. 
 
  Like  a  petty  god  I  walked  about  admired  of  all 
  --Milton. 
 
  {Petty  averages}.  See  under  {Average}. 
 
  {Petty  cash},  money  expended  or  received  in  small  items  or 
  amounts. 
 
  {Petty  officer},  a  subofficer  in  the  navy,  as  a  gunner,  etc., 
  corresponding  to  a  noncommissionned  officer  in  the  army. 
 
  Note:  For  petty  constable,  petty  jury,  petty  larceny,  petty 
  treason,  See  {Petit}. 
 
  Syn:  Little;  diminutive;  inconsiderable;  inferior;  trifling; 
  trivial;  unimportant;  frivolous. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  petty 
  adj  1:  inferior  in  rank  or  status;  "the  junior  faculty";  "a  lowly 
  corporal";  "petty  officialdom";  "a  subordinate 
  functionary"  [syn:  {junior-grade},  {inferior},  {lower}, 
  {lower-ranking},  {lowly},  {petty(a)},  {secondary},  {subaltern}, 
  {subordinate}] 
  2:  (informal  terms)  small  and  of  little  importance;  "a  fiddling 
  sum  of  money";  "a  footling  gesture";  "our  worries  are 
  lilliputian  compared  with  those  of  countries  that  are  at 
  war";  "a  little  (or  small)  matter";  "a  dispute  over 
  niggling  details";  "limited  to  petty  enterprises"; 
  "piffling  efforts";  "giving  a  police  officer  a  free  meal 
  may  be  against  the  law,  but  it  seems  to  be  a  picayune 
  infraction"  [syn:  {fiddling},  {footling},  {lilliputian},  {little}, 
  {niggling},  {piddling},  {piffling},  {picayune},  {trivial}] 
  3:  contemptibly  narrow  in  outlook;  "a  little  mind  consumed  with 
  trivia";  "petty  little  comments";  "disgusted  with  the 
  pettiness  of  small  minds"  [syn:  {little},  {small},  {small-minded}] 
 
  From  U.S.  Gazetteer  (1990)  [gazetteer]: 
 
  Petty,  TX 
  Zip  code(s):  75470




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