# petition

Pronunciation: US say "puh-TISH-uhn" /pəˈtɪʃ.ən/; UK

## Noun

1. A formal written request from a person or group to a ruler or government, often bearing many signatures and asking for a right, mercy, or the fixing of a wrong.
   - Simple: A written request signed by many people, asking those in charge to fix a problem or grant something.
   - _The villagers submitted a petition to the king seeking relief from heavy taxes._
   - _Her petition gathered ten thousand signatures before it reached parliament._
3. A formal written application to a court or magistrate, requesting a legal order or initiating a suit for divorce.
   - Simple: A formal written request to a court, asking a judge for an order or a divorce.
   - _The petition for divorce was filed in the county court last spring._
   - _His attorney submitted a petition requesting an emergency protective order._
4. A prayer or earnest request, usually formal or humble, addressed to a deity, a sovereign, or an authority.
   - Simple: A humble prayer or request made to God, a ruler, or someone in power.
   - _He ended his prayer with a petition for guidance in the difficult days ahead._
   - _Each petition was met with a quiet 'amen' from the gathered worshippers._

## Verb

2. To make a formal request to a ruler or governing authority, asking for action or the redress of a wrong.
   - Simple: To formally ask a leader or government, in writing, to do something or fix a problem.
   - _Residents petitioned the council to halt the demolition._
   - _The merchants decided to petition the crown for new trading rights._

## Origin

It came into Middle English from Old French "peticiun," which came from the Latin "petitio, petitionem" ("a request, solicitation"), based on "petere" ("to require, seek, go forward").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/petition (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).