Showing posts with label petty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label petty. Show all posts

Monday, April 15, 2013

petty, petit, petite

Petty or petty means small or insignificant, or of no importance, literally or figuratively--
There should be enough money in petty cash to pay for the delivery.
He can be so petty; he always finds something to complain about, no matter how trivial.

Petit or petit ( rhymes with petty ) means a jury other than a grand jury; a regular trial jury--
People summoned to serve on a petit jury need to stay for the entire day.
Were you summoned for a petit jury or a grand jury?

Petite or petite ( peh teet ) means small or dainty, most commonly used to describe a woman--
She's a petite woman, probably only about 5 feet tall.
She wears a size petite or extra small.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The petite woman in the petit jury waiting room made several petty and annoying remarks."

Note--"petit fours" is  French for little cakes, or little baked things--
We are making petit fours for the party.