pet.
An animal kept as a companion or otherwise for pleasure, rather than for some practical benefit or use.
Meaning & usage
An animal kept as a companion or otherwise for pleasure, rather than for some practical benefit or use.
family pet, pet cat, pet dog, pet store
My dog Fido has been a loyal pet for ten years.
Something kept as a companion, including inanimate objects.
pet plant, pet rock
One who is excessively loyal to a superior and receives preferential treatment.
Any person or animal especially cherished and indulged; a darling.
Where this word comes from
Originally northern dialectal, from Scots pet (“an animal that has been tamed and is kept as a pet; a darling or favourite; a petted or spoiled child”), probably from Scottish Gaelic peata (“pet, tamed animal, spoiled child”), from Middle Irish petta, peta (“pet, lap-dog”), of uncertain origin, possibly from a pre-Indo-European substrate. Compare also peat (“pet, darling, woman”), which is likely not related. The verb is derived from the noun.
To stroke or fondle (an animal).
I really love to pet cute puppies.
To stroke or fondle (another person) amorously.
We started petting each other the moment we were alone.
To keep or treat (an animal) as a pet.
To treat (someone) as a pet; to fondle; to indulge.
His daughter was petted and spoiled.
To be a pet.
To be peevish; to sulk.
Where this word comes from
Originally northern dialectal, from Scots pet (“an animal that has been tamed and is kept as a pet; a darling or favourite; a petted or spoiled child”), probably from Scottish Gaelic peata (“pet, tamed animal, spoiled child”), from Middle Irish petta, peta (“pet, lap-dog”), of uncertain origin, possibly from a pre-Indo-European substrate. Compare also peat (“pet, darling, woman”), which is likely not related. The verb is derived from the noun.
Favourite; cherished; the focus of one's (usually positive) attention.
a pet project
a pet child
Kept or treated as a pet.
pet rock
Good; ideal.
Where this word comes from
Originally northern dialectal, from Scots pet (“an animal that has been tamed and is kept as a pet; a darling or favourite; a petted or spoiled child”), probably from Scottish Gaelic peata (“pet, tamed animal, spoiled child”), from Middle Irish petta, peta (“pet, lap-dog”), of uncertain origin, possibly from a pre-Indo-European substrate. Compare also peat (“pet, darling, woman”), which is likely not related. The verb is derived from the noun.
A fit of petulance, a sulk, arising from the impression that one has been offended or slighted.
Where this word comes from
Clipping of petulance.
To be petulant or upset; to have a problem with.
Where this word comes from
Clipping of petulance.
A term of endearment usually applied to women and children.
Where this word comes from
Clipping of petal.
Abbreviation of petition.
Where this word comes from
Clipping of petition.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.