Definition of petit-maître in English:
petit-maître
nounˌpətɪˈmeɪtr(ə)p(ə)timɛtʀ
1A dandy or fop.
Example sentencesExamples
- Cusset poses the question: "In this frivolous world of marquises, vicomtes, roués, and petit-maîtres who seem to be oblivious to any other reality than pleasure, is anything relevant for us today?"
- Current aesthetic values remind me more of the post-French Revolution "petit-maîtres" than anything, a word that has negative connotations in French and Spanish (petimetre).
Synonyms
fop, beau, man about town, bright young thing, glamour boy, rake
2A minor musician, writer, or other artist.
Example sentencesExamples
- The exhibition introduces drawings by some of the petit-maîtres - 18th-century French artists who concentrated on drawing rather than painting.
Origin
French, literally 'little master'.