What does "pet" mean?

Pet: Any person or animal especially cherished and indulged; a fondling; a darling; often, a favorite child. The love of cronies, pets, and favorites. Tatler.

Additional senses

2.Etym: [Prob. fr. Pet a fondling, hence, the behavior or humor of a spoiled child.] A slight fit of peevishness or fretfulness. "In a pet she started up." Tennyson.
3.Petted; indulged; admired; cherished; as, a pet child; a pet lamb; a pet theory. Some young lady's pet curate. F. Harrison. Pet cock. Etym: [Perh. for petty cock.] (Mach.) A little faucet in a water pipe or pump, to let air out, or at the end of a steam cylinder, to drain it.
4.To treat as a pet; to fondle; to indulge; as, she was petted and spoiled.
5.To be a pet. Feltham.

Sources

Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00