Link Centre Dictionary

patrol

pat·rol

UK/pəˈtɹəʊl/ US/pəˈtɹoʊl/ common
noun (3) verb (1)

noun

1.
2.

the activity of going around or through an area at regular intervals for security purposes

3.

a group that goes through a region at regular intervals for the purpose of security

verb

1.

maintain the security of by carrying out a control

Synonyms

Origin

From French patrouille, from Old French patrouille, patouille (“a night-watch”, literally “a tramping about”), from patrouiller, patouiller, patoiller (“to paddle or pudder in water, dabble with the feet, begrime, besmear”), from patte, pate (“paw, foot of an animal”), from Vulgar Latin *patta (“paw, foot”), from Frankish *patta (“paw, sole of the foot”), from Proto-Germanic *paþjaną, *paþōną (“to walk, tread, go, step, pace”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pent-, *(s)pat- (“path; to walk”), a variant of Proto-Indo-European *pent-, *pat- (“path; to go”); see find. Cognate with Dutch pad, patte (“paw”), Low German pedden (“to step, tread”), German patschen (“to splash, smack, dabble, waddle”), German Patsche (“a swatter, beater, paw, puddle, mire”). Related to pad, path.

Phrases

  • border patrol
  • combat air patrol
  • dawn patrol
  • donut patrol
  • emu patrol
  • foot patrol
  • highway patrol
  • military patrol

Related words

Word family

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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.