## Meanings
1. Small and not important.
2. Caring too much about small, unimportant things and being mean about them.
3. Lower in rank or importance; minor.

## Examples
- They were always arguing over petty matters.
- It was petty of him to complain about such a tiny mistake.
- He kept a little petty cash in the office drawer.

## Derived Forms
- petticoat
- petties
- pettifog
- pettifogger
- pettifoggery
- pettily
- pettiness
- pettitoes
- petty-house
- pettychaps
- pettywhin
- unpetty

## Related Forms
- quibble

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: peti
- Root: petit

## Etymology
The adjective is derived from Middle English peti, pety (“little, small; minor”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman petit, Middle French petit, and Old French peti, petit, pitet (“young; little, small; inferior; insignificant”) (modern French petit), ultimately of imitative origin. It is no longer thought that the word is derived from Celtic. Doublet of petit and petite. The noun is derived from the adjective.

## AI Etymology
Petty: The adjective is derived from Middle English peti, pety (“little, small; minor”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman petit, Middle French petit, and Old French peti, petit, pitet (“young; little, small; inferior; insignificant”) (modern French petit), ultimately of imitative origin. It is no longer thought that the word is derived from Celtic. Doublet of petit and petite. The noun is derived from the adjective. In present-day English it covers small and not important, caring too much about small, unimportant things and being mean about them, and lower in rank or importance; minor. The wider family includes derived forms such as petticoat, petties, pettifog, pettifogger, pettifoggery and related forms such as quibble.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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petty

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