a small piece of material used to mend a tear or break, to cover a hole, or to strengthen a weak place: patches at the elbows of a sports jacket.
a piece of material used to cover or protect a wound, an injured part, etc.: a patch over the eye.
Also called skin patch,trans·der·mal patch. an adhesive patch that applies to the skin and gradually delivers drugs or medication to the user: using a nicotine patch to try to quit smoking.
any of the pieces of cloth sewed together to form patchwork.
a small piece, scrap, or area of anything: a patch of ice on the road.
a piece or tract of land; plot.
a small field, plot, or garden, especially one in which a specific type of plant grows or is cultivated: a cabbage patch; a bean patch.
Military. a cloth emblem worn on the upper uniform sleeve to identify the military unit of the wearer.
a small organizational or affiliational emblem of cloth sewn to one's jacket, shirt, cap, etc.
a connection or hookup, as between radio circuits or telephone lines: The patch allowed shut-ins to hear the game by telephone.
a period of time characterized by some quality: he was going through a rough patch.
Computers. a small piece of code designed to be inserted into an executable program in order to fix errors in, or update the program or its supporting data.
verb (used with object)
to mend, cover, or strengthen with or as if with a patch or patches.
to repair or restore, especially in a hasty or makeshift way (usually followed by up).
to make by joining patches or pieces together: to patch a quilt.
to settle or smooth over (a quarrel, difference, etc.) (often followed by up): They patched up their quarrel before the company arrived.
(especially in radio and telephone communications) to connect or hook up (circuits, programs, conversations, etc.) (often followed by through, into, etc.): The radio show was patched through to the ship. Patch me through to the mainland.
verb (used without object)
to make a connection between radio circuits, telephone lines, etc. (often followed by in or into): We patched into the ship-to-shore conversation.
Origin of patch
1
1350–1400;Middle Englishpacche; perhaps akin to Old Provençalpedas piece to cover a hole < Vulgar Latin*pedaceum literally, something measured; compare Medieval Latinpedāre to measure in feet; see -ped
Related formspatch·a·ble, adjectivepatch·er, nounpatch·less, adjectiveun·patched, adjectivewell-patched, adjective
"piece of cloth used to mend another material," late 14c., of obscure origin, perhaps a variant of pece, pieche, from Old North French pieche (see piece (n.)), or from an unrecorded Old English word (but Old English had claðflyhte "a patch"). Phrase not a patch on "nowhere near as good as" is from 1860.
patch
n.2
"fool, clown," 1540s, perhaps from Italian pazzo "fool," of unknown origin. Possibly from Old High German barzjan "to rave" [Klein]. But Buck says pazzo is originally euphemistic, and from Latin patiens "suffering," in medical use, "the patient." Form perhaps influenced by folk etymology derivation from patch (n.1), on notion of a fool's patched garb.
patch
v.
mid-15c., from patch (n.1). Electronics sense of "to connect temporarily" is attested from 1923. Related: Patched; patching.
Mend or repair, make whole. For example, He managed to patch up the lawn mower so it's running, or John cut his hand badly, but they patched him up in the emergency room, or Mike and Molly have patched up their differences. This term alludes to mending something by putting patches of material on it. [Second half of 1500s]
