From Middle English, borrowed from Old French peticiun, from stem of Latin petitio, from petere.

• IPA: /pəˈtɪʃ.ən/

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. (legal) 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.

• French: pétition
• German: Petition, Eingabe
• Italian: petizione
• Portuguese: petição
• Russian: пети́ция
• Spanish: petición

• French: pétition
• German: Petition
• Portuguese: abaixo-assinado
• Russian: пети́ция

• German: Petition
• Russian: заявле́ние
• Spanish: petición

petition (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.

• French: pétitionner
• Russian: хода́тайствовать