Small in size; used in legal contexts to denote a lesser degree of an offense.
From Old French 'petit' meaning small, derived from Latin 'pittitus'. The word entered English through Norman French and has maintained its meaning of smallness, particularly in legal terminology like 'petit jury' or 'petit larceny'.
Petit is pronounced like 'puh-TEE' in English, not like the French 'puh-TEE' with a silent 't'. Interestingly, in American legal terminology, a 'petit jury' is actually the larger trial jury of 12 people, while a 'grand jury' can have up to 23 members—making the naming quite counterintuitive!
French adjective 'petit' (small) carries feminine/diminutive associations in gendered Romance languages; when applied to women's roles or bodies, it can minimize or infantilize.
Use 'small' or 'minor' in English; avoid diminutive framing when describing professional roles.
["small","minor","compact"]
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