Part 221

||Pet"a*sus (?), n. [L., from Gr. &?;.] (Gr. & Rom. Antiq.) The winged ||cap of Mercury; also, a broad-brimmed, low-crowned hat worn by Greeks ||and Romans.

Pe*tau"rist (?), n. [L. petaurista a ropedancer, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to dance on a rope, fr. &?; a pole, a stage for ropedancers: cf. F. pÈtauriste.] (Zoˆl.) Any flying marsupial of the genera Petaurus, Phalangista, Acrobata, and allied genera. See Flying mouse, under Flying, and Phalangister.

||Pe*tech"i*Ê (?), n. pl.; sing. Petechia (&?;). [NL., fr. LL. ||peteccia; cf. F. pÈtÈchie, It. petecchia, Sp. petequia, Gr. &?; a ||label, plaster.] (Med.) Small crimson, purple, or livid spots, like ||flea-bites, due to extravasation of blood, which appear on the skin ||in malignant fevers, etc.

Pe*tech"i*al (?), a. [Cf. F. pÈtÈchial, LL. petecchialis.] (Med.) Characterized by, or pertaining to, petechiÊ; spotted.

Petechial fever, a malignant fever, accompanied with livid spots on the skin.

Pe"ter (?), n. A common baptismal name for a man. The name of one of the apostles,

Peter boat, a fishing boat, sharp at both ends, originally of the Baltic Sea, but now common in certain English rivers. -- Peter Funk, the auctioneer in a mock auction. [Cant, U.S.] -- Peter pence, or Peter's pence. (a) An annual tax or tribute, formerly paid by the English people to the pope, being a penny for every house, payable on Lammas or St.Peter's day; -- called also Rome scot, and hearth money. (b) In modern times, a voluntary contribution made by Roman Catholics to the private purse of the pope. -- Peter's fish (Zoˆl.), a haddock; -- so called because the black spots, one on each side, behind the gills, are traditionally said to have been caused by the fingers of St. Peter, when he caught the fish to pay the tribute. The name is applied, also, to other fishes having similar spots.

<! p. 1073 !>

Pet"er (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Petered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Petering.] [Etymol. uncertain.] To become exhausted; to run out; to fail; -- used generally with out; as, that mine has petered out. [Slang, U.S.]

Pet"er*el (?), n. (Zoˆl.) See Petrel.

Pet`e*re"ro (?), n. (Mil.) See Pederero.

Pe"ter*man (?), n.; pl. Petermen (&?;). A fisherman; -- so called after the apostle Peter. [An obs. local term in Eng.] Chapman.

Pe"ter*sham (?), n. [Named after Lord Petersham.] A rough, knotted woolen cloth, used chiefly for men's overcoats; also, a coat of that material.

Pe"ter*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) See Saint Peter's-wort, under Saint.

{ Pet"i*o*lar (?), Pet"i*o*la*ry (?), } a. [Cf. F. pÈtiolarie.] (Bot.) Of or pertaining to petiole, or proceeding from it; as, a petiolar tendril; growing or supported upon a petiole; as, a petiolar gland; a petiolar bud.

{ Pet"i*o*late (?), Pet"i*o*la`ted (?), } a. (Bot. & Zoˆl.) Having a stalk or petiole; as, a petioleate leaf; the petiolated abdomen of certain Hymenoptera.

Pet"i*ole (?), n. [F. pÈtiole, fr. L. petiolus a little foot, a fruit stalk; cf. pes, pedis, a foot.] 1. (Bot.) A leafstalk; the footstalk of a leaf, connecting the blade with the stem. See Illust. of Leaf.

2. (Zoˆl.) A stalk or peduncle.

Pet"i*oled (?), a. Petiolate.

Pet`i*ol"u*late (?), a. (Bot.) Supported by its own petiolule. Gray.

Pet"i*o*lule (?), n. [Cf. F. pÈtiolule.] (Bot.) A small petiole, or the petiole of a leaflet.

Pet"it (?), a. [F. See Petty.] Small; little; insignificant; mean; -- Same as Petty. [Obs., except in legal language.]

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 maÓtre (&?;). [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.

Pe*ti"tion (?), n. [F. pÈtition, L. petitio, fr. petere, petitum, to beg, ask, seek; perh. akin to E. feather, or find.] 1. A prayer; a supplication; an imploration; an entreaty; especially, a request of a solemn or formal kind; a prayer to the Supreme Being, or to a person of superior power, rank, or authority; also, a single clause in such a prayer.

A house of prayer and petition for thy people.

1 Macc. vii. 37.