I. ˈpēd.ə(r), -ētə- noun
( -s )
Etymology: from the name Peter
1. slang
a. : safe 1b
b. : a prison cell
2. : penis — often considered vulgar
II. intransitive verb
( petered ; petered ; petering -əriŋ also -ē.triŋ ; peters )
Etymology: origin unknown
1.
a. : to diminish gradually and cease : run out and disappear : give out
when the rain had petered to a misty drizzle — Hugh Fosburgh
— usually used with out
the stream peters out between the rocks
when the rich copper deposits petered out — Harold Griffin
b. : to come to an end
broad daylight song peters to diminuendo — Lee Anderson
— usually used with out
that all the old American families are petering out — New York Times Magazine
2. : to become exhausted
after a long desert journey the oxen became much petered — Overland Monthly
— usually used with out
raked half the lawn before he petered out
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: from blue peter
: a signal given by a whist player to his partner to play trumps
IV. intransitive verb
( petered ; petered ; petering -əriŋ also -ē.triŋ ; peters )
: to signal to a whist partner to play trumps
V.
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: from the name Peter
— a communications code word for the letter p