Petition

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: pe=ti=tion

CIDE DICTIONARY

Petition, n. [F. pétition, L. petitio, fr. petere, petitum, to beg, ask, seek; perh. akin to E. feather, or find.].

•  A prayer; a supplication; an imploration; an entreaty; especially, a request of a solemn or formal kind; a prayer to the Supreme Being, or to a person of superior power, rank, or authority; also, a single clause in such a prayer.  [1913 Webster]

  "A house of prayer and petition for thy people."  [1913 Webster]

  "This last petition heard of all her prayer."  [1913 Webster]
•  A formal written request addressed to an official person, or to an organized body, having power to grant it; specifically (Law), a supplication to government, in either of its branches, for the granting of a particular grace or right; -- in distinction from a memorial, which calls certain facts to mind; also, the written document.  [1913 Webster]

Petition of right (Law), a petition to obtain possession or restitution of property, either real or personal, from the Crown, which suggests such a title as controverts the title of the Crown, grounded on facts disclosed in the petition itself. Mozley & W. -- The Petition of Right (Eng. Hist.), the parliamentary declaration of the rights of the people, assented to by Charles I.

Petition, v. t. 

 To make a prayer or request to; to ask from; to solicit; to entreat; especially, to make a formal written supplication, or application to, as to any branch of the government; as, to petition the court; to petition the governor.  [1913 Webster]
"You have . . . petitioned all the gods for my prosperity."  [1913 Webster]

Petition, v. i. 

 To make a petition or solicitation.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Petition, n. & v.
--n.
1 a supplication or request.
2 a formal written request, esp. one signed by many people, appealing to authority in some cause.
3 Law an application to a court for a writ etc.
--v.
1 tr. make or address a petition to (petition your MP).
2 intr. (often foll. by for, to) appeal earnestly or humbly.

Idiom

Petition of Right
1 hist. a parliamentary declaration of rights and liberties of the people assented to by Charles I in 1628.
2 Law a common-law remedy against the crown for the recovery of property.

Derivative

petitionable adj. petitionary adj. petitioner n.

Etymology

ME f. OF f. L petitio -onis

THESAURUS

Petition

Angelus, Ave, Ave Maria, Hail Mary, Kyrie Eleison, Paternoster, address, aid prayer, appeal, appeal to, application, apply for, apply to, ask, asking, beadroll, beads, beg, beseech, beseechment, bidding prayer, breviary, call on, call upon, chaplet, circulate a petition, collect, commune with God, communion, contemplation, demand, desire, devotions, entreat, entreaty, expressed desire, give thanks, grace, impetration, imploration, implore, importune, imprecation, indent, intercession, invocation, invoke, litany, make supplication, meditation, memorialize, obsecration, obtestation, offer a prayer, orison, plea, plead, pray, pray over, prayer, prayer wheel, prefer a petition, recite the rosary, request, requisition, return thanks, rogation, rosary, say grace, sign a petition, silent prayer, solicit, solicitation, sue, suit, supplicate, supplication, thanks, thanksgiving, wish

ROGET THESAURUS

Petition

Request

N request, requisition, claim, petition, suit, prayer, begging letter, round robin, motion, overture, application, canvass, address, appeal, apostrophe, imprecation, rogation, proposal, proposition, orison, incantation, mendicancy, asking, begging, postulation, solicitation, invitation, entreaty, importunity, supplication, instance, impetration, imploration, obsecration, obtestation, invocation, interpellation, requesting, precatory, suppliant, supplicant, supplicatory, postulant, obsecratory, importunate, clamorous, urgent, cap in hand, on one's knees, on one's bended knees, on one's marrowbones, prithee, do, please, pray, be so good as, be good enough, have the goodness, vouchsafe, will you, I pray thee, if you please, Int, for God's sake!, for heaven's sake!, for goodness' sake!, for mercy's sake!, Dieu vous garde, dirigenos Domine, would you be so kind as to.

VB request, ask, beg, crave, sue, pray, petition, solicit, invite, pop the question, make bold to ask, beg leave, beg a boon, apply to, call to, put to, call upon, call for, make a request, address a request, prefer a request, put up a request, make a prayer, address a prayer, prefer a prayer, put up a prayer, make a petition, address a petition, prefer a petition, put up a petition, make application, make a requisition, ask trouble, ask one for, claim, offer up prayers, whistle for, beg hard, entreat, beseech, plead, supplicate, implore, conjure, adjure, obtest, cry to, kneel to, appeal to, invoke, evoke, impetrate, imprecate, ply, press, urge, beset, importune, dun, tax, clamor for, cry aloud, cry for help, fall on one's knees, throw oneself at the feet of, come down on one's marrowbones, beg from door to door, send the hat round, go a begging, mendicate, mump, cadge, beg one's bread, dance attendance on, besiege, knock at the door, bespeak, canvass, tout, make interest, court, seek, bid for, publish the banns.

Worship

N worship, adoration, devotion, aspiration, homage, service, humiliation, kneeling, genuflection, prostration, prayer, invocation, supplication, rogation, intercession, orison, holy breathing, petition, collect, litany, Lord's prayer, paternoster, beadroll, latria, dulia, hyperdulia, vigils, revival, cult, anxious meeting, camp meeting, ebenezer, virginal, thanksgiving, giving thanks, returning thanks, grace, praise, glorification, benediction, doxology, hosanna, hallelujah, allelujah, Te Deum, non nobis Domine, nunc dimittis, paean, benschen, Ave Maria, O Salutaris, Sanctus, The Annunciation, Tersanctus, Trisagion, psalm, psalmody, hymn, plain song, chant, chaunt, response, anthem, motet, antiphon, antiphony, oblation, sacrifice, incense, libation, burnt offering, heave offering, votive offering, offertory, discipline, self-discipline, self-examination, self-denial, fasting, divine service, office, duty, exercises, morning prayer, mass, matins, evensong, vespers, undernsong, tierce, holyday, worshipper, congregation, communicant, celebrant, worshipping, devout, devotional, reverent, pure, solemn, fervid, Int, hallelujah, allelujah!, hosanna!, glory be to God!, O Lord!, pray God that!, God grant, God bless, God save, God forbid!, sursum corda, making their lives a prayer, ora et labora, prayers ardent open heaven.