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pat

UK/pæt/ US/pʰæt/ common slang uk us
verb (2) noun (2) adverb (1) adjective (2)

verb

1.

pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin

Synonyms
2.

hit lightly

  • “pat him on the shoulder”
Synonyms

noun

1.

the sound made by a gentle blow

Synonyms
2.

a light touch or stroke

Synonyms

adverb

1.

completely or perfectly

  • “he has the lesson pat”
  • “had the system down pat”

adjective

1.

having only superficial plausibility

  • “glib promises”
  • “a slick commercial”
Synonyms
Similar
2.

exactly suited to the occasion

  • “a pat reply”
Similar

Origin

From Middle English *patten, alteration (with loss of medial l) of platten, pletten (“to pat”), from Old English plættan (“to buffet, strike, slap, smack, give a sounding blow”), from Proto-West Germanic *plattjan, from Proto-Germanic *plat- (“to strike, beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *blod-, *bled- (“to strike, beat”). Cognate with Middle Dutch platten, pletten (“to strike, bruise, crush, rub”), German platzen (“to split, burst, break up”), Bavarian patzen (“to pat”), Swedish plätta, pjätta (“to pat, tap”). For loss of l, compare patch for platch; pate for plate, etc. See plat.

Phrases

  • butter pat
  • cow pat
  • down pat
  • off pat
  • on the Pat and Mick
  • Pat and Mick
  • pat down
  • pat hand
  • pat on the back
  • pat slide
  • stand pat

Related words

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.