petit-maître \pətēmātrə, -ā.tr, -ā.trə, -āt\noun (pluralpetits-maîtresorpetit-maîtres \“\) Etymology: French, literally, small master : dandy, fop < the most finished gentleman in every sense of the word … without an atom of frippery or a shade of the petit-maître — W.G.Hammond >