pat
verb (used with object)
to strike lightly or gently with something flat, as with a paddle or the palm of the hand, usually in order to flatten, smooth, or shape.
patness
-
a word derived from
pat.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As written, the words appear noncommittal, yet the rhyme implies the patness of what these women have to say.
From New York Times ● May 17, 2018
But Mukherjee’s primary bulwark against patness is a piece of formal daring.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 14, 2016
There was the patness — too obvious to be accidental — of their final exchange, when Will said, “No fuss, no muss,” and Alicia said, “That’s me.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2011
Democrats jumped up and down with Republicans, transported at the patness of it.
From Time Magazine Archive
Often there seems to be intelligent association of certain acts or conditions with corresponding sentences, these sometimes occurring with singular patness.
From The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals A Book of Personal Observations by Hornaday, William Temple
