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pet·u·lant

(pĕchə-lənt)

adj.

1. Unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish.

2. Contemptuous in speech or behavior.

[Latin petulāns, petulant-, insolent, from petere, to assail; see pet- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

petu·lance, petu·lan·cy n.

petu·lant·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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