Part 220

2. Any person or animal especially cherished and indulged; a fondling; a darling; often, a favorite child.

The love of cronies, pets, and favorites.

Tatler.

3. [Prob. fr. Pet a fondling, hence, the behavior or humor of a spoiled child.] A slight fit of peevishness or fretfulness. "In a pet she started up." Tennyson.

Pet, a. Petted; indulged; admired; cherished; as, a pet child; a pet lamb; a pet theory.

Some young lady's pet curate.

F. Harrison.

Pet cock. [Perh. for petty cock.] (Mach.) A little faucet in a water pipe or pump, to let air out, or at the end of a steam cylinder, to drain it.

Pet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Petted; p. pr. & vb. n. Petting.] To treat as a pet; to fondle; to indulge; as, she was petted and spoiled.

Pet, v. i. To be a pet. Feltham.

Pet"al (?), n. [Gr. &?; a leaf, a leaf or plate of metal, fr. &?; outspread, broad, flat: cf. F. pÈtale. See Fathom.] 1. (Bot.) One of the leaves of the corolla, or the colored leaves of a flower. See Corolla, and Illust. of Flower.

2. (Zoˆl.) One of the expanded ambulacra which form a rosette on the black of certain Echini.

Pet"aled (?), a. (Bot.) Having petals; as, a petaled flower; -- opposed to apetalous, and much used in compounds; as, one-petaled, three-petaled, etc.

Pet`al*if"er*ous (?), a. [Petal + -ferous.] Bearing petals.

Pe*tal"i*form (?), a. (Bot.) Having the form of a petal; petaloid; petal-shaped.

Pet"al*ine (?), a. [Cf. F. pÈtalin.] (Bot.) Pertaining to a petal; attached to, or resembling, a petal.

Pet"al*ism (?), n. [Gr. &?;, fr. &?; a leaf: cf. F. pÈtalisme.] (Gr. Antiq.) A form of sentence among the ancient Syracusans by which they banished for five years a citizen suspected of having dangerous influence or ambition. It was similar to the ostracism in Athens; but olive leaves were used instead of shells for ballots.

Pet"al*ite (?), n. [Cf. F. pÈtalite.] (Min.) A rare mineral, occurring crystallized and in cleavable masses, usually white, or nearly so, in color. It is a silicate of aluminia and lithia.

Pe*tal"o*dy (?), n. [Petal + Gr. &?; form.] (Bot.) The metamorphosis of various floral organs, usually stamens, into petals.

Pet"al*oid (?), a. [Petal + - oid: cf. F. pÈtaloÔde.] (Bot.) Petaline.

Pet`al*oid"e*ous (?), a. (Bot.) Having the whole or part of the perianth petaline.

Petaloideous division, that division of endogenous plants in which the perianth is wholly or partly petaline, embracing the LiliaceÊ, OrchidaceÊ, AmaryllideÊ, etc.

||Pet`a*los"ti*cha (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. &?; a leaf + &?; a row.] ||(Zoˆl.) An order of Echini, including the irregular sea urchins, as ||the spatangoids. See Spatangoid.

Pet"al*ous (?), a. Having petals; petaled; -- opposed to apetalous.

||Pet"a*lum (?), n.; pl. Petala (#). [NL.] A petal.

Pe*tar" (?), n. See Petard. [Obs.] "Hoist with his own petar." Shak.

Pe*tard" (?), n. [F. pÈtard, fr. pÈter to break wind, to crack, to explode, L. pedere, peditum.] (Mil.) A case containing powder to be exploded, esp. a conical or cylindrical case of metal filled with powder and attached to a plank, to be exploded against and break down gates, barricades, drawbridges, etc. It has been superseded.

{ Pet`ar*deer", Pet`ar*dier" } (?), n. [F. pÈtardier.] (Mil.) One who managed a petard.