petition

See also: Petition and pétition

English

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 to an official person or organized body, often containing many signatures.
2. A compilation of signatures built in order to exert moral authority in support of a specific cause.

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

3. (law) A formal written request for judicial action.
4. A prayer; a supplication; an entreaty.
   • 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
• 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) (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)
• 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)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

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 request to, commonly in written form.

   The villagers petitioned the council to demolish the dangerous building.

Translations

to make a request

• Bulgarian: подавам молба (podavam molba)
• 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)