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Webster 1913 Edition

Patent

Pat′ent

(păt′ent or pāt′ent)
,
Adj.
[L.
patens
,
-entis
, p. pr. of
patere
to be open: cf. F.
patent
. Cf.
Fathom
.]
1.
(Oftener pronounced
pāt′ent
in this sense)
Open; expanded; evident; apparent; unconcealed; manifest; public; conspicuous.
He had received instructions, both
patent
and secret.
Motley.
2.
Open to public perusal; – said of a document conferring some right or privilege;
as, letters
patent
. See
Letters patent
, under 3d
Letter
.
3.
Appropriated or protected by letters patent; secured by official authority to the exclusive possession, control, and disposal of some person or party; patented;
as, a
patent
right;
patent
medicines.
Madder . . . in King Charles the First’s time, was made a
patent
commodity.
Mortimer.
4.
(Bot.)
Spreading; forming a nearly right angle with the steam or branch;
as, a
patent
leaf
.
Patent leather
,
a varnished or lacquered leather, used for boots and shoes, and in carriage and harness work.
–
Patent office
,
a government bureau for the examination of inventions and the granting of patents.
–
Patent right
.
(a)
The exclusive right to an invention, and the control of its manufacture
.
(b)
(Law)
The right, granted by the sovereign, of exclusive control of some business of manufacture, or of the sale of certain articles, or of certain offices or prerogatives.
–
Patent rolls
,
the registers, or records, of patents.

Pat′ent

,
Noun.
[Cf. F.
patente
. See
Patent
,
Adj.
]
1.
A letter patent, or letters patent; an official document, issued by a sovereign power, conferring a right or privilege on some person or party.
Specifically:
(a)
A writing securing to an invention.
(b)
A document making a grant and conveyance of public lands.
Four other gentlemen of quality remained mentioned in that
patent
.
Fuller.
☞ In the United States, by the act of 1870, patents for inventions are issued for seventeen years, without the privilege of renewal except by act of Congress.
2.
The right or privilege conferred by such a document; hence, figuratively, a right, privilege, or license of the nature of a patent.
If you are so fond over her iniquity, give her
patent
to offend.
Shakespeare

Pat′ent

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Patented
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Patenting
.]
To grant by patent; to make the subject of a patent; to secure or protect by patent;
as, to
patent
an invention; to
patent
public lands.

Definition 2024

Patent

Patent

See also: patent

German

Noun

Patent n ‎(genitive Patents or Patentes, plural Patente)

  1. patent

Related terms

Luxembourgish

Noun

Patent n ‎(plural Patenter)

  1. patent

Synonyms

patent

patent

See also: Patent

English

Noun

patent ‎(plural patents)

  1. A declaration issued by a government agency declaring someone the inventor of a new invention and having the privilege of stopping others from making, using or selling the claimed invention; a letter patent.
    • 2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 55:
      The solitary, lumbering trolls of Scandinavian mythology would sometimes be turned to stone by exposure to sunlight. Barack Obama is hoping that several measures announced on June 4th will have a similarly paralysing effect on their modern incarnation, the patent troll.
  2. A specific grant of ownership of a piece of property; a land patent.
  3. Patent leather: a varnished, high-gloss leather typically used for shoes and accessories.
Translations

Verb

patent ‎(third-person singular simple present patents, present participle patenting, simple past and past participle patented)

  1. To successfully register an invention with a government agency; to secure a letter patent.
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle French patent, from Old French, from Latin patēns ‎(“open, lying open”), present participle of pateō ‎(“I lie open”).

Adjective

patent ‎(comparative more patent, superlative most patent)

  1. (biology) open, unobstructed, expanded.
    That is a patent ductus arteriosus.
  2. explicit and obvious.
    Those claims are patent nonsense.
  3. (of flour) that is fine, and consists mostly of the inner part of the endosperm
  4. Open; unconcealed; conspicuous.
    • Motley
      He had received instructions, both patent and secret.
  5. Open to public perusal; said of a document conferring some right or privilege.
    letters patent
  6. Protected by a legal patent.
    a patent right; patent medicines
    • Mortimer
      Madder […] in King Charles the First's time, was made a patent commodity.
Derived terms
Translations

Anagrams

Catalan

Noun

patent m ‎(plural patents)

  1. patent

Czech

Noun

patent m

  1. patent (declaration issued by a government to an inventor)

Derived terms

  • patentový

Danish

Noun

patent n (singular definite patentet, plural indefinite patenter)

  1. patent

Declension

Related terms

References

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: pa‧tent
  • Rhymes: -ɛnt

Etymology

From Middle French patente, from lettres patentes ‎(“letter in which a privilege is granted”).

Noun

patent n ‎(plural patenten, diminutive patentje n)

  1. patent

Synonyms

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

patent ‎(comparative patenter, superlative am patentesten)

  1. clever
  2. ingenious

Declension

Comparative forms of patent
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist patenter sie ist patenter es ist patenter sie sind patenter
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative patenterer patentere patenteres patentere
genitive patenteren patenterer patenteren patenterer
dative patenterem patenterer patenterem patenteren
accusative patenteren patentere patenteres patentere
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der patentere die patentere das patentere die patenteren
genitive des patenteren der patenteren des patenteren der patenteren
dative dem patenteren der patenteren dem patenteren den patenteren
accusative den patenteren die patentere das patentere die patenteren
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein patenterer eine patentere ein patenteres (keine) patenteren
genitive eines patenteren einer patenteren eines patenteren (keiner) patenteren
dative einem patenteren einer patenteren einem patenteren (keinen) patenteren
accusative einen patenteren eine patentere ein patenteres (keine) patenteren

Latin

Verb

patent

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of pateō

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Short form of Anglo-Norman lettre patente

Noun

patent n ‎(definite singular patentet, indefinite plural patent or patenter, definite plural patenta or patentene)

  1. patent

Related terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Short form of Anglo-Norman lettre patente

Noun

patent n ‎(definite singular patentet, indefinite plural patent, definite plural patenta)

  1. patent

References

Polish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpatɛnt/

Noun

patent m inan

  1. patent (official declaration that someone is the inventor of something)

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pǎtent/
  • Hyphenation: pa‧tent

Noun

pàtent m ‎(Cyrillic spelling па̀тент)

  1. patent (official declaration that someone is the inventor of something)

Declension

Swedish

Noun

patent n

  1. patent

Declension

Inflection of patent 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative patent patentet patent patenten
Genitive patents patentets patents patentens

Related terms

  • patentansökan
  • patentanspråk
  • patentbyrå
  • patentera
  • patentlås
  • patentskydd
  • patentskydda
  • pantentsökt
  • patentverk

Pronunciation

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