1. A domesticated animal kept for companionship or amusement
   "Their cat was a beloved pet for over 15 years"
    
2. A special loved one
   "The elderly couple still called each other 'pet' after fifty years of marriage";
   - darling, favorite [US], favourite [Brit, Cdn], dearie [Brit, informal], deary [informal], ducky [informal], jo [UK, archaic, dialect], acushla [Ireland], honeybunch [informal], duckie [informal], honeybun [N. Amer, informal]
    
3. [Brit, informal] A friendly form of address
   "Can I get you anything else, pet?";
   - dearie [Brit, informal], luv [Brit, informal], love [Brit, informal], lovey [Brit, informal], ducky [Brit, informal]
    
4. A fit of petulance or sulkiness (especially at what is felt to be a slight)
   "He went into a pet when his suggestion was ignored"

1. (of a person) valued more than all others, often treated with partiality
   "the pet child";
   - favored [US], favorite [US], favourite [Brit, Cdn], best-loved, preferred, preferent, favoured [Brit, Cdn], fave [informal]

1. Stroke or caress gently
   "pet the lamb"
    
2. Stroke or caress in an erotic manner, as during lovemaking
   "They petted in the back seat of the car"

1. Using a computerized radiographic technique to examine the metabolic activity in various tissues (especially in the brain)
   "PET scans helped track the progression of Alzheimer's disease";
   - positron emission tomography

Derived forms: pets, petting, petted

See also: loved

Type of: animal, animate being, caress, choler, crossness, fondle, fretfulness, fussiness, imaging, irritability, lover, peevishness, petulance, tomography

Encyclopedia: Pet, Arthur