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 /

Save This Word!

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

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use patent in a sentence

The team has one patent granted and one pending for their technologies, she adds.
Xesto is a foot scanning app that simplifies shoe gifting|Natasha Lomas|November 20, 2020|TechCrunch
Later he worked at a public company in the patent licensing space.
‘Valuations had shifted’: What a private equity acquisition means for legacy media|Kayleigh Barber|November 19, 2020|Digiday
When Solovine and Habicht left, it was just Einstein and Besso, walking home together from the patent office, discussing the nature of space and time and, as always, Mach.
When Einstein Tilted at Windmills - Issue 93: Forerunners|Amanda Gefter|November 18, 2020|Nautilus
The number of patent applications that concern AI, for instance, has roughly doubled from 30,000 to 60,000 in the past 15 years, and AI-related inventions now account for 15% of overall applications.
How AI is changing the legal profession|Jeff|November 17, 2020|Fortune

Though ABS had invested heavily in the development of this technology, it did not seek a patent, allowing competitors to gain access.
The secret weapon for distributing a potential covid-19 vaccine|Joanna Radin|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
The polygraph, which uses a range of measurements including blood pressure, was patented by Leonarde Keeler in 1931.
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine|Tom Arnold-Forster|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A man named Herbert Gilbert patented one back in 1963 that heated a nicotine solution and produced steam.
This Is Your E-Cigarette on Drugs|Daniel Genis|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By some estimates, 40 percent of human genes have been patented, and every single one of those patents was at stake in this case.
The Supremes Get It Right, Naturally.|Sam Kean|June 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Their idea, developed in the late 1940s and patented 60 years ago this fall, turned out to be ahead of its time.
RIP to the Man Behind the Ubiquitous Bar Code|David Frum|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
On a less crucial note, how does Jenni Ching get bloodstains out of her patented white leather jumpsuit?
Must Reads: Kennedy, Sontag and Paris, ‘A Partial History of Lost Causes,’ ‘City of Bohane,’ ‘Flatscreen’|Lauren Elkin, Mythili Rao, Drew Toal, Nicholas Mancusi|April 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But Mill might have said the same thing about the price of a music box, provided it was properly patented, anywhere at all.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
A machine for making percussion caps was patented by John Abraham in 1864.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Fancy silk buttons, with worked figured tops, were patented by Wm. Elliott, in 1837.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Many years afterwards precisely similar bits for boring wood were patented as new things, and are still used.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
Machines for cutting files and rasps were patented by Mr. Shilton, Dartmouth Street, in 1833.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell

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

Medical definitions for patent

patent

[ păt′nt ]

A grant made by a government that confers upon the creator of an invention the sole right to make, use, and sell that invention for a set period of time.

An invention protected by such a grant.

adj.

Of, relating to, or being a nonprescription drug or other medical preparation that is often protected by a trademark.

Not blocked; open.

Spreading open; expanded.

To obtain a patent on or for something, such as an invention.

To invent, originate, or be the proprietor of an idea.

To grant a patent to someone or for something.

patent

OTHER WORDS FOR patent

OPPOSITES FOR patent

Origin of patent

synonym study for patent

OTHER WORDS FROM 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

Medical definitions for patent