1039
petulant
Peter 'Rabbit a character from children's stories by Beatrix
POTTER. He is a young rabbit who often does things that he is
not supposed to do, but his mother still forgives him and
loves him.
Pe-ter-son, Oscar /'pɪtəsɔnl-tər-/ (1925-) a Canadian
JAZZ piano player, known for his skill at playing the piano
and for performing as part of his own TRIO
Peter's 'pence n [singular] 1 money given by Roman Catho-
lics in many countries to help to pay for the running of the
VATICAN (=the offices of the Pope) 2 a tax of one penny
which each person in England had to pay to the POPE until
HENRY VIII stopped it in 1534
Peter the 'Great also Peter I /ˌpiːtə ə 'ɡreɪt||-tər ðə
'fɜːrst/ (1672-1725) the CZAR (=ruler) of Russia from 1682 to
1725. He built the city of St Petersburg and was known for
trying to make Russia a modern and European country.
'pet food n food prepared specially for pets, especially cats
and dogs, and usually preserved in tins
pet 'hate BrE also pet peeve especially AmE informal — n some-
thing that one finds particularly annoying, even when
others do not find it so: Small dogs are my pet peeve. | My pet
hate is those stupid car horns that play a tune.
pe-tit bour-geois /ˌpeti 'bʊəʒwɑː, ˌbʊə'ʒwɑː||ˌpeti
buər'ʒwɑː, pəˌtiː-/ also petty bourgeois n, adj Fr 1 (a
person, such as a small shopkeeper or skilled worker) of the
lower middle class 2 BOURGEOIS
pe-tite /pə'tiːt/ adj apprec (of a woman or girl) having a small
and neat figure: a petite blonde
petit four /ˌpeti 'fʊər, -'fɔːr/ n Fr a kind of small sweet cake
or BISCUIT served with coffee, especially at the end of a meal
pe-ti-tion¹ /pə'tɪʃən/ n 1 [(for, against)] {a piece or pieces of
paper containing} a request or demand made to a govern-
ment or other body, usually signed by many people: Will
you sign our petition against using animals in scientific
experiments? | to get up (=arrange) a petition 2 an official
letter to a court of law, asking for consideration of one's
case 3 fml a solemn prayer or request to God, a ruler etc
petition² v [i;T(for, against)] to make or send a petition or
official request: We're petitioning for a new playground for the
village children. | [+to-v] The people petitioned to be allowed to
return to their island. | [+obj+to-v] They petitioned the govern-
ment to reconsider its decision.
pe-ti-tion-er /pə'tɪʃənər/ n 1 someone who makes or signs
a petition 2 law someone asking for their marriage to be
legally ended
petit mal /ˌpeti 'mæl/ n [U] Fr a slight form of the disease of
EPILEPSY → compare GRAND MAL
petit pain /ˌpeti 'pæn/ n pl. petits pains (same pronunciation) Fr a
small rich loaf for one person, often eaten warm with coffee
at breakfast, especially in France
pet 'name n a name given to someone whom one specially
likes or loves, used instead of that person's real name
Pet-o In-sti-tute, the /'petəʊ ˌɪnstɪ'tjuːt||-tuːt/ an institu-
tion in Budapest, Hungary, started by Dr Andras Peto in 1945,
which teaches children who have CEREBRAL PALSY and can-
not control their bodies properly to lead more independent
lives by means of CONDUCTIVE EDUCATION
pet 'peeve n → see PET HATE
Pet-ra /'petrə/ an ancient city in Jordan, where buildings are
cut into pink-coloured rock. It is sometimes called 'the
rose-red city, half as old as time', and is visited by many
tourists.
pet-rel /'petrəl/ n a black and white seabird → see also
STORMY PETREL
Pe-tri dish /'piːtri dɪʃ/ n a small clear dish with a cover
which is used by scientists, especially for growing BACTERIA
Petrified 'Forest, the a large NATIONAL PARK in eastern
Arizona, US, where the rock surfaces show FOSSILS (=ancient
plants and trees that have been preserved in rock)
pet-ri-fy /'petrɪfaɪ/ v 1 [T] to put (someone) into a state of
extreme shock or fear so that they are unable to think or
take action: He sat there petrified as the ghost glided across
the room. | (fig.) My new boss absolutely petrifies me! → see
FRIGHTENED (USAGE) 2 [i;T] to turn into stone: petrified wood
—faction /ˌpetrɪ'fækʃən/ n [U] fml
pet-ro-chem-i-cal /ˌpetrəʊ'kemɪkəl/ n a chemical sub-
stance obtained from PETROLEUM or natural gas: the petro-
chemical industry | a petrochemical plant (=factory)
pet-ro-dol-lar /'petrəʊˌdɒlər||-ˌdɑːl-/ n tech an American
dollar earned by the sale of oil, especially by the oil-
producing countries of the Middle East
Pet-ro-grad /'petrəɡræd/ the name used from 1914 to 1924
for the Russian city of ST PETERSBURG
pet-rol /'petrəl/ BrE || gas, gasoline AmE — n [U] a liquid
obtained especially from petroleum, used mainly for pro-
ducing power in the engines of cars, aircraft etc: We filled
(the car) up with petrol before the long journey. | Six gallons/
litres of petrol, please. | the petrol tank | petrol fumes | a petrol
pump | two star/four star petrol (=the number of stars
showing the quality of the petrol)
'petrol bomb n a type of bomb made by putting petrol inside
a container, e.g. a bottle, attaching a piece of cloth, and
lighting the cloth. Petrol bombs are thrown usually by TER-
RORISTS or people involved in RIOTS.
pe-tro-le-um /pə'trəʊliəm/ n [U] a mineral oil obtained from
below the surface of the Earth, and used to produce petrol,
PARAFFIN, and various chemical substances: petroleum-based
products
pe,troleum 'jelly also Vaseline trademark also
pet-ro-la-tum /ˌpetrə'leɪtəm/ AmE — a type of thick
GREASE substance made from petroleum, used especially on
cut or broken skin
pe-trol-o-gy /pə'trɒlədʒi||-'trɑː-/ n [U] the scientific study of
rocks —gist n
'petrol station BrE || filling station, gas station AmE
— n a place where you take your car and fill it with petrol.
Most petrol stations also sell oil and small SPARE PARTS and
other goods such as cigarettes and sweets. Some will also do
simple repairs.
Pe-tro-nas Tow-ers /ˌpətrəʊnəs 'taʊəz||-ərz/ two con-
nected buildings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which are the
tallest buildings in the world at 452 metres or 1483 feet tall
PET scan /'pet skæn/ n med abbrev. for positron emission
tomography scan; a type of medical test that can produce a
picture of areas in your body where cells are very active, for
example the brain or where a TUMOUR is growing
'Pet Shop Boys, The a British POP group consisting of a
singer, Neil Tennant, and a KEYBOARD player, Chris Lowe,
who have been popular since the 1980s and who use
electronic equipment to make their music
pet-ti-coat /'petikəʊt/ also slip BrE old fash || slip AmE — n a
woman's undergarment which hangs from the shoulders or
waist
Petticoat 'Lane a street in the EAST END of London, where
a market is held every week on Sunday morning
pet-ti-fog-ging /'petiˌfɒɡɪŋ||-ˌfɑː-, -ˌfɔː-/ adj BrE
derog. 1 needlessly concerned with small unimportant
details: I'm sick to death of those pettyfogging bureau-
crats! 2 too small to be worth considering
'petting zoo n AmE part of a zoo which has baby animals in
it for children to touch
pet-tish /'petɪʃ/ adj derog impatiently angry; showing child-
ish bad temper, especially over something unimportant →
see also PET —ly adv —ness n [U]
pet-ty /'peti/ adj 1 of (relatively) little importance; on a small
scale: Our problems seem petty when compared to those of
people who never get enough to eat. | petty crime 2 derog
having or showing a mind that is limited, narrow, and
ungenerous; SMALL-MINDED: petty spite | Don't be so petty/
petty-minded. —tily adv —tiness n [U]
petty bour'geois n, adj (a) PETIT BOURGEOIS
petty 'cash n [(the)U] an amount of money kept ready in an
office for making small payments
petty 'larceny n [C;U] law the stealing of articles of a value
below a certain amount
petty 'officer n a naval rank → see TABLE 3
pet-u-lant /'petjʊlənt/ adj showing childish bad temper over
unimportant things, or for no reason at all —ly adv: 'I
won't!' she said petulantly. —lance n [U(at)]