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What is "petty officer"

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
petty officer
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A petty officer, his wife and three incredibly well-behaved children were first.
▪ He knew nothing about drill, but learned the necessary movements from books and soon gained promotion to chief petty officer.
▪ Mine hunting director petty officer Simmo Simmons calls up the image on to his table screen.
▪ That other sailor was later identified as Jonathan Rushin, a 23-year-old petty officer third class.
▪ You can earn advancement to leading cook and then to petty officer cook or caterer.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Petty officer

Petty \Pet"ty\, a. [Compar. Pettier; superl. Pettiest.] [OE. petit, F. petit; probably of Celtic origin, and akin to E. piece. Cf. Petit.] Little; trifling; inconsiderable; also, inferior; subordinate; as, a petty fault; a petty prince.
--Denham.

Like a petty god I walked about, admired of all.
--Milton.

Petty averages. See under Average.

Petty cash, money expended or received in small items or amounts.

Petty officer, a subofficer in the navy, as a gunner, etc., corresponding to a noncommissionned officer in the army.

Note: For petty constable, petty jury, petty larceny, petty treason, See Petit.

Syn: Little; diminutive; inconsiderable; inferior; trifling; trivial; unimportant; frivolous.

Wiktionary
petty officer

n. A non-commissioned officer in the US and UK navy and the US coast guard; roughly equivalent to a sergeant in the army

WordNet
petty officer

n. a noncommissioned officer in the navy with a rank comparable to sergeant in the army [syn: PO, P.O.]

Wikipedia
Petty officer

A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant in the British Army and Royal Air Force. A petty officer is superior in rank to leading rate and subordinate to chief petty officer, in the case of the British armed forces.

Usage examples of "petty officer".

The petty officer didn't sound angry so much as marvelling at Sun's misalignment.

My copilot's pretty green, but our onboard systems operator's a first-class petty officer who's been around the block a few times.

Cardones nodded slowly, then moved off to his own duties, and Honor looked back up and beckoned to the petty officer she'd been speaking to when Tremaine's report came in.

The petty officer looked back over her shoulder at Abigail, her face taut.

But, we're also men and SEALS aren't by any stretch of the imagination New Age guys or metromales, and with the exception of Petty Officer Roman we're not gay.

I lifted my eyes and saw Griffiths, Brookman, Fleck, Henry and some Petty Officer I didn't know, on the other side, pressed close against the wall.

Sergeant Broadax, Chief Petty Officer Hans, if you'd see to it I'd be obliged.