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• patten
  patten

  noun

  any of various kinds of footwear, as a wooden shoe, a shoe with a wooden sole, a chopine, etc., to protect the feet from mud or wetness.
• Patten
  Patten

  noun

  Gilbert Burt L. Standish, 1866–1945, U.S. writer of adventure stories.

patten

¹ American  

[pat-n] / ˈpæt n /

noun

1. any of various kinds of footwear, as a wooden shoe, a shoe with a wooden sole, a chopine, etc., to protect the feet from mud or wetness.

2. a separate sole attached to a shoe or boot for this purpose.

3. Building Trades. any stand or support, especially one of a number resting on unbroken ground as a substitute for a foundation.

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Patten ² American  

[pat-n] / ˈpæt n /

noun

1. Gilbert Burt L. Standish, 1866–1945, U.S. writer of adventure stories.

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patten British  

/ ˈpætən /

noun

1. a wooden clog or sandal on a raised wooden platform or metal ring

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Other Word Forms

• pattened
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of patten

1350–1400; Middle English paten < Middle French patin wooden shoe, perhaps derivative of pate paw

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

patten Patten

In reality, patten is derived from the French word patin, which has a varied meaning of the sole of a shoe or a skate.

From Two Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 (1620-1820) by Alice Morse Earle

On Christmas Eve she put her little wooden patten on the hearth before the fire, and went to sleep to dream of Saint Nicholas.

From Good Stories for Holidays by Frances Jenkins Olcott

Her nap was also broken at intervals like the fabled slumbers of Friar Bacon, by the dropping of the other patten, and of the umbrella.

From Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens

He let you drag through the mud and snow without so much as a patten to keep you off the ground.

From Clementina by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason

When the affection is unilateral, advantage may be derived from a Thomas' or other form of splint, along with a patten and crutches; in bilateral cases, from the use of crutches alone.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles

The former shipping scion took over the reins from the last British Governor Chris Patten in July 1997 when the UK handed Hong Kong back to China, ending more than 150 years of British control.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Siniakova, an 11-time major champion in women’s doubles, and Patten, a three-time major champion in men’s doubles, had taken down the powerhouse duo of Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka in the first round.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Monfils and Svitolina, who arrived so short on preparation that they weren’t sure they would be included in the tournament, were up against stiff competition in Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Patten, a two-time winner of the men's doubles competition at Wimbledon, and Czech team-mate Katerina Siniakova defeated Americans Peyton Stearns and Christian Harrison in straight sets in their second qualifying match.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

One of these, Thomas B. Marsh, had apostatized, and the other, the lamented David W. Patten, was now filling a martyr's grave.

From Life of Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle The Father and Founder of the British Mission by Orson F. Whitney