patency

[ peyt-n-see, pat- ]

noun

1. the state of being patent.
2. Medicine/Medical. the condition of not being blocked or obstructed.
3. Phonetics. openness of articulation, found more or less in all phonemes except stops.

patency

/ ˈpeɪtənsɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being obvious
2. the state of a bodily passage, duct, etc, of being open or unobstructed
3. See closure
   phonetics the degree to which the vocal tract remains unobstructed in the articulation of a speech sound See also closure

Word History and Origins

Origin of patency¹

First recorded in 1650–60; pat(ent) + -ency

Example Sentences

It is clear that they thus secured patency of the air-passages after these had become occluded.

From Project Gutenberg

Probably we dislike the ape because of the very patency of his human affinities.

From Project Gutenberg