Link Centre Dictionary

patent

pa·tent

UK/ˈpeɪtənt/ US/ˈpætənt/ fairly common us
noun (2) verb (3) adjective (2)

noun

1.

a document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention

Synonyms
2.

an official document granting a right or privilege

Synonyms

verb

1.

obtain a patent for

  • “Should I patent this invention?”
2.

grant rights to; grant a patent for

3.

make open to sight or notice

  • “His behavior has patented an embarrassing fact about him”

adjective

1.

(of a bodily tube or passageway) open; affording free passage

  • “patent ductus arteriosus”
Similar
2.

clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

  • “the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields”
  • “evident hostility”
  • “manifest disapproval”
  • “patent advantages”
  • “made his meaning plain”
  • “it is plain that he is no reactionary”
  • “in plain view”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

The noun is derived from Middle English patent (“document granting an office, property, right, title, etc.; document granting permission, licence; papal indulgence, pardon”) [and other forms], which is either: * a clipping of lettre patent, lettres patente, lettres patentes [and other forms]; or * directly from Anglo-Norman and Middle French patente (modern French patent), a clipping of Anglo-Norman lettres patentes, Middle French lettres patentes, lettre patente, and Old French patentes lettres (“document granting an office, privilege, right, etc., or making a decree”) (compare Late Latin patēns, littera patēns, litterae patentēs). For the derivation of Anglo-Norman and Middle French patente (adjective) in lettre patente, see etymology 2 below. The verb is derived from the noun.

Phrases

  • blocking patent
  • Chinese patent medicine
  • land patent
  • patent ambush
  • patent fuel
  • patent hammer
  • patent inside
  • patent law
  • patent leather
  • patent leathers
  • patent log
  • patent medicine

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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.