different between dinky vs petite

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?d??ki/
• Rhymes: -??ki

Etymology 1

1780-90; compare Scots dink (“neatly dressed, trim”) (of obscure origin); sense shift perhaps: trim > dainty > small > insignificant; +? -y.

Adjective

dinky (comparative dinkier, superlative dinkiest)

1. (informal, Britain) Tiny and cute; small and attractive.
   • 1915, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of the Island, ch. 11

     How do you like my hat? That one you had on in church yesterday was real dinky.
2. (informal, US) Tiny and insignificant; small and undesirable.

   They stayed in a dinky hotel room, but they had a great trip.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:tiny

Translations

Etymology 2

cf. DINK

Noun

dinky (plural dinkies)

1. A person in a relationship with double income and no kids

Anagrams

• kindy

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French petite f, feminine of petit m (“small, little”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p??ti?t/
• Rhymes: -i?t

Adjective

petite (comparative more petite, superlative most petite)

1. (especially of a woman) fairly short and of slim build.
2. (clothing) of small size.
3. Small, little; insignificant; petty.
   • 1662, Thomas Salusbury, Galileo's Dialogue on the Two Systems of the World (Dialogue Two)

     The Earth, the Sun, and Stars, what things are they in nature? are they petite things not worth our notice, or grand and worthy of consideration?

Derived terms

• petite perception

Related terms

• petitely
• petiteness

Translations

References

• John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “petite”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN

Anagrams

• Pettie, Piette

Esperanto

Adverb

petite

1. past adverbial passive participle of peti

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p(?).tit/
• (Quebec) IPA^(key): /p(?).tit/, /p(?).t?s?t/

Adjective

petite

1. feminine singular of petit

Latin

Verb

petite

1. second-person plural present active imperative of pet?