petition

See also: Petition and pétition

English

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petition

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Etymology

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French peticiun, from stem of Latin petitio, petitionem (“a request, solicitation”), from petere (“to require, seek, go forward”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pəˈtɪʃ.ən/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

Noun

petition (plural petitions)

1. A formal written request made by an individual or a group of people to a sovereign or political authority, often containing many signatures, soliciting some grace, right, mercy, or the redress of some wrong or grievance. [from early 15th c.]

   We're looking to get 10,000 people to sign the petition to have the bird colony given legal protection.

2. (law, by extension) A formal written application made to a magistrate or court for an order or a suit for divorce. [from 1730s]
3. A prayer or supplication, especially of which is formal or humble and made to a deity, a sovereign, or an authority. [from c. 1330]

   a petition to aid

   a petition to God for courage and strength

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Maccabees 7:37:

     A house of prayer and petition for thy people.

Derived terms

• e-petition
• petitional
• petition of right

Translations

formal, written request made to an official person

Arabic: عَرِيضَة f (ʕarīḍa) Armenian: խնդրագիր (hy) (xndragir) Belarusian: петы́цыя f (pjetýcyja), хада́йніцтва n (xadájnictva), прашэ́нне n (prašénnje) Bulgarian: молба́ (bg) f (molbá), заявле́ние (bg) n (zajavlénie) Catalan: petició (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 請願 / 请愿 (zh) (qǐngyuàn) Czech: žádost (cs) f, suplika (cs) f Danish: andragende n, petition Dutch: verzoekschrift (nl) n, petitie (nl) f, smeekschrift (nl) n Esperanto: peticio, petskribo Finnish: vetoomus (fi), adressi (fi) French: pétition (fr) German: Petition (de) f, Eingabe (de) f Greek: αίτηση (el) f (aítisi), αναφορά (el) f (anaforá) Ancient: αἴτημα f (aítēma), δέησις f (déēsis) Hindi: याचिका (hi) f (yācikā) Hungarian: kérvény (hu) Hunsrik: Pëtizion f Indonesian: petisi (id) Irish: achainí f Italian: petizione (it) f Japanese: 請願 (ja) (せいがん, seigan) Kazakh: петиция (petisiä) Korean: 청원(請願) (cheong'won) Kurdish: Northern Kurdish: arîze (ku) f Ladino: petisyon, arzoal, arzuhal Latin: libellus m, petitio f Malay: petisyen Maori: petihana Persian: درخواست (fa) (darxâst) Plautdietsch: Aunfroag f Polish: petycja (pl) f Portuguese: petição (pt) f Romanian: petiție (ro) Russian: пети́ция (ru) f (petícija), хода́тайство (ru) n (xodátajstvo), проше́ние (ru) n (prošénije), заявле́ние (ru) n (zajavlénije) Scottish Gaelic: athchuinge f Slovak: žiadosť f Spanish: petición (es) f, instancia (es) f Swedish: petition (sv) c, framställan (sv) c Tajik: дархост (tg) (darxost) Turkish: dilekçe (tr) Ukrainian: пети́ція (uk) f (petýcija), проха́ння n (proxánnja) Welsh: deiseb (cy) f

compilation of signatures

Arabic: عَرِيضَة f (ʕarīḍa) Armenian: պետիցիա (hy) (peticʻia) Azerbaijani: ərizə (az), petisiya Belarusian: петы́цыя f (pjetýcyja) Bulgarian: пети́ция (bg) f (petícija) Czech: petice (cs) f Estonian: petitsioon Finnish: adressi (fi), vetoomus (fi) French: pétition (fr) f Georgian: პეტიცია (ṗeṭicia) German: Petition (de) f Greek: αίτηση (el) f (aítisi) Hindi: याचिका (hi) f (yācikā) Hungarian: petíció (hu) Indonesian: petisi (id) Irish: achainí f Macedonian: петиција f (peticija) Persian: طومار (fa) (tumâr), درخواست (fa) (darxâst), عریضه (fa) ('arize) Polish: petycja (pl) Portuguese: abaixo-assinado (pt) m Russian: пети́ция (ru) f (petícija) Scottish Gaelic: athchuinge f Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: пѐтӣција Roman: pètīcija (sh) f Slovak: petícia f Spanish: petición (es) f Swedish: namninsamling (sv) c Tajik: ариза (ariza) Turkish: dilekçe (tr) Ukrainian: пети́ція (uk) f (petýcija) Urdu: درخواست f (darxvāst)

legal: formal request for judicial action

Bulgarian: жа́лба (bg) f (žálba) Czech: návrh (cs) m Finnish: hakemus (fi), anomus (fi) German: Petition (de) f Greek: αίτηση (el) f (aítisi) Hindi: याचिका (hi) (yācikā) Indonesian: petisi (id) Irish: achainí f Malay: rayuan Persian: دادخواست (fa) (dâdxâst), کیفرخواست (fa) (keyfarxâst) Russian: заявле́ние (ru) n (zajavlénije), хода́тайство (ru) n (xodátajstvo), жа́лоба (ru) f (žáloba), пети́ция (ru) f (petícija) Scottish Gaelic: tagairt f, athchuinge f Spanish: petición (es) f Swedish: framställan (sv) c Thai: คำร้อง (kam-rɔ́ɔng)

prayer; supplication; entreaty

Finnish: rukous (fi)

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Translations to be checked

Irish: (please verify) achairt f

Verb

petition (third-person singular simple present petitions, present participle petitioning, simple past and past participle petitioned)

1. (transitive) To make a petition to (a sovereign or political authority).

   The villagers petitioned the council to demolish the dangerous building.

   • 1955 April, “Notes and News: Restoring the Festiniog Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 288:

     The company, appreciating the crippling affect ^[sic] that this scheme will have on its activities unless the railway is diverted, has petitioned against the North Wales Hydro-Electric Power Bill at present before the House of Lords.

Translations

to make a request

Bulgarian: подавам молба (podavam molba) Danish: andrage Egyptian: (spr) Finnish: anoa (fi), pyytää (fi), hakea (fi) French: pétitionner (fr) Greek: αιτούμαι (el) (aitoúmai) Hindi: याचना (hi) (yācnā) Hungarian: kérvényez (hu) Irish: impigh, achainigh Maori: petihana Russian: хода́тайствовать (ru) (xodátajstvovatʹ), подава́ть (ru) impf (podavátʹ) / пода́ть (ru) (podátʹ) (заявле́ние (zajavlénije), петицию (peticiju), etc.) pf Scottish Gaelic: tagair Spanish: peticionar (es), perorar (es), instar (es)

References

• “petition, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2025), “petition”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Further reading

• “petition”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.