Etymograph

English

pet

Pet comes from Scots pet, probably from Scottish Gaelic peata, from Middle Irish petta ‘pet, lap-dog’, of uncertain origin.

  1. Middle Irishc. 900–1200petta1‘pet, lap-dog’
  2. Scottish Gaelicmodernpeata1‘pet, tamed animal’uncertain
  3. Scotsc. 1450–presentpet1‘tamed animal; darling’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1623pet1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English pet
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1623, Owen Feltham, Resolves: Divine: “He sure is queasie stomach't that must pet, and…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Irishc. 900–1200pettaWiktionary, English pet‘pet, lap-dog’
  2. Scottish GaelicmodernpeataWiktionary, English pet‘pet, tamed animal’uncertain
  3. Scotsc. 1450–presentpetWiktionary, English pet‘tamed animal; darling’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1623petWiktionary, English pet. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1623, Owen Feltham, Resolves: Divine: “He sure is queasie stomach't that must pet, and…”

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Today it means

noun An animal kept as a companion or otherwise for pleasure, rather than for some practical benefit or use.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “pet”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle Irish petta / pet