patent

USPAT-uhnt/ˈpætənt/UKPAY-tuhnt/ˈpeɪtənt/

22 meanings of patent

1
nouncountable or uncountable
An official paper that gives an inventor the only right to make and sell a new invention for a set time.
Like a ticket that says only you are allowed to sell something you invented.
She filed for a patent on her new bottle design.
The company holds a patent that protects its battery technology.
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2
SayPAY-tuhnt/ˈpeɪtənt/
adjective
Very clear and easy for anyone to see.
Like a stain on a white shirt that everyone notices right away.
The mistake in the report was patent to everyone who read it.
Her joy was patent the moment she opened the gift.
Similarobvious, clear, evident, plain, explicit
Oppositehidden, unclear, obscure
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3
verbtransitive
To officially register a new invention so only you can make and sell it.
Like putting your name on something you made so no one else can copy it.
She wants to patent her folding bicycle design.
They patented the new engine last spring.
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4
adjective
Kept safe by law so that only the owner can make or sell it.
Like a recipe that the law says only one bakery is allowed to use.
The factory uses a patent process that rivals are not allowed to copy.
The company guards its patent formula closely.
Similarpatented
Oppositeunpatented, generic
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5
noununcountableabbreviationellipsis
Short for patent leather, a shiny, varnished leather used for shoes and bags.
Her black patent shoes shone under the lights.
His new belt was made of smooth black patent.
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6
nouncountable or uncountable
An official paper from a ruler or government that gives someone a right, title, or piece of land.
Like an official letter from a king saying a job or a piece of land is now yours.
The king gave him a patent making him governor of the colony.
Her family held a royal patent to the land for centuries.
Similargrant, charter, warrant, commission
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7
nouncountable or uncountable
A right from the government that lets only one maker sell certain goods.
Like the government saying only one store in town is allowed to sell a thing.
The merchant won a patent to sell salt across the region.
Only one company held a patent over the spice trade.
Similarmonopoly, franchise
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8
nounfigurativelycountable or uncountable
Permission or the right to do something as you wish.
Like having a special pass that lets you do what others cannot.
Being the boss's son gave him a patent to ignore the rules.
A college degree is not a patent to skip the basics.
Similarlicense, permission, freedom
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9
nouncountable or uncountable
A product that someone has gotten a patent for.
Like a toy that only one company is allowed to make and sell.
The store displayed a patent that promised to sharpen any blade.
Bargain bins were full of cheap patents that rarely worked.
Similarinvention
10
SayPAY-tuhnt/ˈpeɪtənt/
adjective
Out in the open and easy for anyone to notice.
Like a crack in a wall that anyone walking by can see.
His scorn for the plan was patent and made no attempt to hide itself.
The cracks in the old wall were patent from the street.
Similarovert
Oppositehidden, concealed, covert
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11
nounfigurativelycountable or uncountable
A quality that someone has, talked about as if only they have it.
Like thinking you are the only person allowed to be smart.
She acts as if she has a patent on kindness.
No one holds a patent on good ideas.
Similarmonopoly
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12
verbfigurativelytransitive
To be so closely linked with something that people think only you do it.
Like a singer whose voice is so famous that any copy sounds fake.
Critics joke that one band seems to patent every catchy summer tune.
Over the years she patented the look of effortless cool.
Similarmonopolize, own
13
SayPAY-tuhnt/ˈpeɪtənt/
adjective
Still open instead of closed, especially a small opening in the heart that normally closes after birth.
Like a door that was supposed to swing shut but stayed open a crack.
The baby was born with a patent opening between two heart chambers.
Doctors found that the vessel was still patent weeks after birth.
Similaropen, unobstructed
Oppositeclosed, occluded, obstructed
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14
SayPAY-tuhnt/ˈpeɪtənt/
adjective
Describes an infection at the stage when tests can find the germ causing it.
Like a hidden leak you can only find once water starts showing on the floor.
The disease becomes patent once the parasite shows up in blood tests.
A patent infection is easy to confirm in the lab.
Similardetectable
Oppositelatent
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15
SayPAY-tuhnt/ˈpeɪtənt/
adjective
Describes flour that is very fine and made mostly from the soft inside of the grain.
Like keeping only the softest middle of a loaf and throwing away the crust.
Bakers choose patent flour for light, fluffy cakes.
This bread uses a patent flour milled from the heart of the wheat.
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16
SayPAY-tuhnt/ˈpeɪtənt/
adjective
Describes a branch or leaf that spreads out wide, often sticking straight out from the stem.
Like arms stretched straight out to the sides.
The shrub had patent branches that reached out in all directions.
Its leaves are patent, standing out at right angles from the stem.
Similaroutspread
Oppositeappressed, erect
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17
nounhistoricalUScountable or uncountable
An official paper from the government giving someone ownership of a piece of land.
Like a receipt from the government that proves the land is now yours.
The settler received a patent for the farmland he had cleared.
Her family still keeps the old patent that granted them the valley.
Similargrant, title, deed
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18
verbhistoricalUStransitive
To get an official grant from the government that makes a piece of land your own.
Like filling out the final paperwork that turns a borrowed house into one you own.
Settlers could patent land by farming it for several years.
He patented the eighty acres after meeting every requirement.
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19
adjectivefiguratively
Seen as belonging to one person as their own, or perfectly suited to them.
Like a trick that one person does so well it feels like only theirs.
Telling tall tales is grandpa's patent skill.
That style of joke felt patent to him, as if no one else could pull it off.
Similarcharacteristic, distinctive, special
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20
adjectivearchaic
Describes a document that is open for anyone to read or use, not kept secret.
Like a notice pinned on a board for everyone to read, not a sealed letter.
The decree was patent, posted where all could see it.
A patent charter hung in the town square for all to read.
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21
adjectivearchaic
Officially given to someone by a public order from a ruler.
Like a job you get because the king signed an official paper giving it to you.
He held a patent title granted by the queen herself.
Their noble rank was patent, conferred by the crown long ago.
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22
nouncountable or uncountable
A bet made up of seven smaller bets on three choices, paying out even if only one wins.
Like buying several small tickets at once so you still win a bit if just one hits.
He placed a patent on three horses in the afternoon races.
Even with two losers, her patent still paid out a little.
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Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1, 3, 5–9, 11–12, 17–18, 22

This came from Middle English patent, a document granting an office, right, or permission. It is a short form of phrases like 'lettres patentes' from Anglo-Norman and Old French. The verb comes from the noun.

Meanings 2, 4, 10, 13–16, 19–21

This came from Middle English patent, meaning wide open or clear, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French patent, and from Latin patēns, meaning open.