letters patent

American  

plural noun

Law.

1. a written or printed instrument issued by a sovereign power, conferring upon a patentee some right, as the exclusive right to land or the exclusive right to make, use, and sell an invention for a limited time.

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letters patent British  

plural noun

1. See patent

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Etymology

Origin of letters patent

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

letters patent

Upon the issue of the letters patent, an open document from the Queen conferring a patent or other right, Southend will become the 52nd city in England and the second in Essex, alongside Chelmsford.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2022

On 5 June 1925 King George V visited Stoke-on-Trent gave it the status of city by royal letters patent, she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2019

Your status, and any design ideas you submit, will be reviewed and if approved, you will be granted a letters patent by the most senior herald, the Kings of Arms.

From BBC ● May 30, 2017

Loudly the Clerk read the new peer's letters patent from George V, creating Prince George "Duke of Kent, Earl of St. Andrews and Baron Downpatrick."

From Time Magazine Archive

In 1566 the "Ordinance de Moulins" of Charles IX made further definition; and letters patent of Henry III, in 1576, referred back to these earlier ordinances.

From Copyright: Its History and Its Law by Bowker, Richard Rogers