petit larceny

2 definitions found

petit larceny - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Petit \Pet"it\ (p[e^]t"[y^]; F. pe*t[-e]"), a. [F. See Petty.]
     Small; little; insignificant; mean; -- Same as Petty.
     [Obs., except in legal language.]
     [1913 Webster]
  
           By what small, petit hints does the mind catch hold of
           and recover a vanishing notion.          --South.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]

petit larceny - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  petit larceny
      n 1: larceny of property having a value less than some amount
           (the amount varies by locale) [syn: petit larceny, petty larceny
           , petty] [ant: grand larceny, grand theft]