The Collaborative International Dictionary
Petitory action
Petitory \Pet"i*to*ry\, a. [L. petitorius, fr. petere, petitum,
to beg, ask: cf. F. p['e]titore.]
Petitioning; soliciting; supplicating.
--Sir W. Hamilton.
Petitory suit or Petitory action (Admiralty Law), a suit
in which the mere title to property is litigated and
sought to be enforced, as distinguished from a possessory
suit; also (Scots Law), a suit wherein the plaintiff
claims something as due him by the defendant.
--Burrill.