The Collaborative International Dictionary
Petit \Pet"it\, a. [F. See Petty.] Small; little; insignificant; mean; -- Same as Petty.
By what small, petit hints does the mind catch hold of
and recover a vanishing notion.
--South.
Petit constable, an inferior civil officer, subordinate to the high constable.
Petit jury, a jury of twelve men, impaneled to try causes at the bar of a court; -- so called in distinction from the grand jury.
Petit larceny, the stealing of goods of, or under, a certain specified small value; -- opposed to grand larceny. The distinction is abolished in England.
Petit ma[^i]tre. [F., lit., little master.] A fop; a
coxcomb; a ladies' man.
--Goldsmith.
Petit serjeanty (Eng. Law), the tenure of lands of the crown, by the service of rendering annually some implement of war, as a bow, an arrow, a sword, a flag, etc.
Petit treason, formerly, in England, the crime of killing a person to whom the offender owed duty or subjection, as one's husband, master, mistress, etc. The crime is now not distinguished from murder.
WordNet
n. larceny of property having a value less than some amount (the amount varies by locale) [syn: petty larceny] [ant: grand larceny]
Usage examples of "petit larceny".
Was the petit larceny a rehearsal for the grand larceny in the Village clubhouse?
If the value was under twenty-five dollars, it would be petit larceny.
I remember your mentioning that there's no real difference between grand and petit larceny!
If, however, the bill is phony, then not only were you passing bad money, you were also committing Petit Larceny, a class-A misdemeanor as defined in Section 155.