Petitionary

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to or characteristic of making a formal request or plea typically to an authority
2. Describing the act of submitting a formal appeal or entreaty to seek a favor or remedy
3. Pertaining to the expression of a request or prayer in an official or earnest way

Etymology: "Petitionary" is a plain formation: "petition" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ary" added to it, giving the sense "of or relating to a petition." "Petition" itself comes from Latin "petitio," a request or demand, from "petere," to seek or ask for. The two words are doublets, meaning they descend from the same Latin source by different routes. "Petitioner," the person who makes a request, came into English as the agent form, while "petitionary" keeps the adjectival sense of the same root.