patterns

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of pattern.

   Designers studied the geometric patterns on ancient pottery.

   Migration patterns shift noticeably with the seasons.

   Note

   A regular plural whose spelling is shared with the present-tense verb, so context decides: patterns on pottery are things, while she patterns her style on someone is an action. The plural carries every noun meaning of pattern, including the specialized ones. To a coin collector, patterns are pieces struck but never minted. In US usage, patterns can be the material needed to make a garment.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of pattern.

   He patterns his daily routine on his mentor's habits.

   The school patterns its math program on the Singapore model.

   Note

   The -s ending marks a singular subject in the present: he patterns, they pattern. In the copying sense the verb links to its model with after, from or by: a garden patterned after a painting. A narrower transitive use belongs to close observation. Someone who patterns an animal watches it over time to learn its habitual movements, so the deer patterns nothing; the watcher patterns the deer.

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