Petit Sergeanty
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
See SERGEANTY. Petitio principii (pe tish' yo prin sip' i 1). A beg- ging of the question, or assuming in the pre- mises the question you undertake to prove.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Petit Sergeanty” mean?
See SERGEANTY. Petitio principii (pe tish' yo prin sip' i 1). A beg- ging of the question, or assuming in the pre- mises the question you undertake to prove.
Is “Petit Sergeanty” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.