English
petite
Petite comes from French petit ‘small’, and goes back to Vulgar Latin *pittus.
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*pittusas pittitus‘small, little’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400petit‘small, little’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame formas petite‘small’
- Englishearliest quotation 1662petite
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*pittusas pittitus‘small, little’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400petit‘small, little’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame formas petite‘small’
- Englishearliest quotation 1662petite
Earliest quotation: 1662, Galileo Galilei: “The Earth, the Sun, and Stars, what things are…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg- ‘to break’
back, bank, beach, bitch, bench, baker, batch, banquet, baxter, banco, bicker, banque, bichon, 9 more
Today it means
adj Fairly short and of slim build.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Vulgar Latin *pittus / petite