English
petition
Petition comes from Old French peticiun ‘request’, from Latin petō ‘to require, seek, go forward’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to fly’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-‘to fly’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*péth₂eti‘to fly’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpetōas petere‘to require, seek, go forward’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpetitio‘a request, solicitation’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400peticiun‘request’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611petition
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-‘to fly’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*péth₂eti‘to fly’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpetōas petere‘to require, seek, go forward’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpetitio‘a request, solicitation’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400peticiun‘request’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611petition
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “A house of prayer and petition for thy people.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to fly’
pass, mile, expand, expansion, patent, helicopter, pen, feather, symptom, spawn, expanse, pennant, patella, patina, pata, pinion, penna, 82 more
through Proto-Indo-European *péth₂eti ‘to fly’
through Latin petō ‘to require, seek, go forward’
repeat, compete, perpetual, competitor, impetus, perpetuate, perpetuity, petulant, impetuous, petulance, 15 more
Today it means
noun A formal written request made by an individual or a group of people to a sovereign or political authority, often containing many signatures, soliciting some grace, right, mercy, or the redress of some wrong or grievance.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- / petition