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July 13, 2012 8:51 am
Why are non-commissioned Naval officers called petty officers? After all, there's nothing petty about them. The term comes from the French "petit," meaning "under, less than, or ranking below in a hierarchy." Petty comes up in myriad instances of formal language, such as petty theft, which is a lesser charge than grand larceny. This is part of a complete episode.