Where does “pet” come from?
Petty comes from Middle English pety, from Middle French petit, from Latin pitittus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)peyk- meaning to cut or separate.
pet (English): An animal kept as a companion; Something kept as...
Definitions
- An animal kept as a companion; Something kept as...
Ancestry of “pet”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | petty | Little, small, secondary in rank or importance;... |
| 2 | Middle English | peti | Alternative form of pety |
| 3 | Middle French | Petit | — |
| 4 | Old French | petit | small, little; worthless; valueless; poor; of... |
| 5 | Gallo-Romance | pitittus | — |