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.

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