patent

[ pat-nt or, for 10, 12-15, peyt-; especially British peyt-nt ]

/ ˈpæt nt or, for 10, 12-15, ˈpeɪt-; especially British ˈpeɪt nt /

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See synonyms for: patent / patented / patenting / patently on Thesaurus.com

noun

the exclusive right granted by a government to an inventor to manufacture, use, or sell an invention for a certain number of years.

an invention or process protected by this right.

an official document conferring such a right; letters patent.

the instrument by which the government of the United States conveys the legal fee-simple title to public land.

patent leather.

adjective pa·tent

[peyt-nt] /ˈpeɪt nt/ (for 10, 12-15)

protected by a patent; patented: a patent cooling device.

pertaining to, concerned with, or dealing with patents, especially on inventions: a patent attorney; patent law.

conferred by a patent, as a right or privilege.

holding a patent, as a person.

readily open to notice or observation; evident; obvious: a patent breach of good manners.

made of patent leather: patent shoes.

lying open; not enclosed or shut in: a patent field.

Chiefly Botany. expanded or spreading.

open, as a doorway or a passage.

Phonetics. open, in various degrees, to the passage of the breath stream.

verb (used with object)

to take out a patent on; obtain the exclusive rights to (an invention, process, etc.) by a patent.

to originate and establish as one's own.

Metallurgy. to heat and quench (wire) so as to prepare for cold-drawing.

to grant (public land) by a patent.

OTHER WORDS FOR patent

10 clear, palpable, conspicuous, unconcealed.

See synonyms for patent on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR patent

10 dim, obscure, hidden.

See antonyms for patent on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of patent

First recorded in 1250–1300; (adjective) Middle English, from Latin patent- (stem of patēns ) “open,” present participle of patēre “to stand open, lie open”; (noun) Middle English, short for letters patent, translation of Medieval Latin litterae patentēs “open letters”

synonym study for patent

10. See apparent.

OTHER WORDS FROM patent

pat·ent·a·ble, adjectivepat·ent·a·bil·i·ty, nounpat·ent·a·bly, adverbpa·tent·ly, adverb

non·pat·ent·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·pat·ent·a·ble, adjectivenon·pat·ent·ed, adjectivenon·pat·ent·ly, adverbpre·pat·ent, noun, verb (used with object)un·pat·ent, adjectiveun·pat·ent·a·bil·i·ty, nounun·pat·ent·a·ble, adjectiveun·pat·ent·ed, adjective

Words nearby patent

patellate, patelliform, paten, patency, Patenier, patent, patent ambiguity, patent cliff, patentee, patent fastener, patent flour

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use patent in a sentence

Because it’s a biological product, it can’t be patented or sold for a profit.
Why we don’t know if convalescent plasma works to treat Covid-19|Katherine Ellen Foley|August 28, 2020|Quartz
In the early days, it was very important to not publish so that we could get all of our patents, which is ultimately what value here is built on.
Will a Covid-19 Vaccine Change the Future of Medical Research? (Ep. 430)|Stephen J. Dubner|August 27, 2020|Freakonomics
That September, he filed patent application 143,805, “Art of Compiling Statistics.”
Punching in|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The patent does not guarantee that Cansino’s vaccine will ultimately prove successful.
China just issued its first COVID vaccine patent. What it means for the vaccine race|Grady McGregor|August 18, 2020|Fortune

The patent application reflects a high level of technical sophistication.
The U.S. Postal Service is seeking a patent for voting by phone|Jeff|August 17, 2020|Fortune
Having received a patent on the technology in 1986, Hull founded 3D Systems to commercialize his discoveries.
Pioneers in Printing|The Daily Beast|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Last week, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said the Redskins name and logo should not have trademark protection.
The Native Americans Who Voted for ‘The Fighting Sioux’|Evan Weiner|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Snyder is appealing the decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the team seems confident that it will win again.
Amanda Blackhorse Is ‘Confident’ Snyder Will Lose His Redskins Appeal|Robert Silverman|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology,” he wrote.
Tesla’s Radical Patent Move is a Plot to Take Over the Road|Daniel Gross|June 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The description in its entirety begins to read more like the storyline in Her than a real-life patent.
Apple Wants to Make Your Head Into an App|Abby Haglage|February 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Robert Fitzgerald received a patent in England for making salt water fresh.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
I only draw your attention to the facts; which have been sufficiently patent to the world, whatever Lord Hartledon may think.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Papier maché buttons came in with Henry Clay's patent in 1778.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Ellis's patent boot studs to save the sole, and the Euknemida, or concave-convex fastening springs, are the latest novelties.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Before this patent was granted he had, however, given up the use of weights altogether and relied entirely upon springs.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for patent

patent

/ (ˈpætənt, ˈpeɪtənt) /

noun

a government grant to an inventor assuring him the sole right to make, use, and sell his invention for a limited period
a document conveying such a grant

an invention, privilege, etc, protected by a patent

an official document granting a right
any right granted by such a document

(in the US)

a grant by the government of title to public lands
the instrument by which such title is granted
the land so granted

a sign that one possesses a certain quality

adjective

open or available for inspection (esp in the phrases letters patent, patent writ)

(ˈpeɪtənt) obvioustheir scorn was patent to everyone

concerning protection, appointment, etc, of or by a patent or patents

proprietary

(esp of a bodily passage or duct) being open or unobstructed

biology spreading out widelypatent branches

(of plate glass) ground and polished on both sides

verb (tr)

to obtain a patent for

(in the US) to grant (public land or mineral rights) by a patent

metallurgy to heat (a metal) above a transformation temperature and cool it at a rate that allows cold working

Derived forms of patent

patentable, adjectivepatentability, noun

Word Origin for patent

C14: via Old French from Latin patēre to lie open; n use, short for letters patent, from Medieval Latin litterae patentes letters lying open (to public inspection)

usage for patent

The pronunciation (ˈpætənt) is heard in letters patent and Patent Office and is the usual US pronunciation for all senses. In Britain (ˈpætənt) is sometimes heard for senses 1, 2 and 3, but (ˈpeɪtənt) is commoner and is regularly used in collocations like patent leather

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

patent

OTHER WORDS FOR patent

OPPOSITES FOR patent

Origin of patent

synonym study for patent

OTHER WORDS FROM patent

Words nearby patent

Words related to patent

How to use patent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for patent

Derived forms of patent

Word Origin for patent

usage for patent