petite mort
\pə.tit mɔʁ\
The verdict
“petite mort” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Syncope.
Corpus desk
Index FR-petite-mort · petite mort · French
petite mort · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | petite mort |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \pə.tit mɔʁ\ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Longue queue: rang de « petite mort » en français
Rare enough to double-check
petite mort is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \pə.tit mɔʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for petite mort in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is petite mort, spelled P-E-T-I-T-E- -M-O-R-T.
Definition
- 1Syncope.
- 2Fait d’avoir froid dans le dos, d’avoir des frissons.
- 3Orgasme.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how petite mort appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Celuy qui est en syncope, est comme s’il estoit mort, aussi appelle on vulgairement ce mal petite mort.
… une sorte de stupeur le glaçait ; ce froid soudain, que le peuple, dans sa langue expressive, appelle la petite mort, passa sur ses épaules, et un frisson terrible le secoua.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.