| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| patent |
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| SYLLABICATION: | pat·ent |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  p t nt |
| NOUN: | 1a. 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. b. Letters patent. c. An invention protected by such a grant. 2a. A grant made by a government that confers on an individual fee-simple title to public lands. b. The official document of such a grant. c. The land so granted. 3. An exclusive right or title. | | ADJECTIVE: | 1. a. Protected or conferred by a patent or letters patent: a patent right. b. Of, relating to, or dealing in patents: patent law. 2. (also p tnt) Obvious; plain. See synonyms at apparent. 3. (ptnt) Biology a. Not blocked; open. b. Spreading open; expanded. 4. Of, relating to, or being a nonprescription drug or other medical preparation that is often protected by a trademark. 5. Of high quality. Used of flour. 6. (also ptnt) Archaic Open to general inspection. Used especially of documents. | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | Inflected forms: pat·ent·ed, pat·ent·ing, pat·ents
1. To obtain a patent on or for (an invention, for example). 2. To invent, originate, or be the proprietor of (an idea, for example). 3. To grant a patent to or for. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, document granting a right, short for (lettre) patent, open (letter), from Old French (lettre) patente, from Latin pat ns, patent-, open, present participle of patre, to be open. See pet - in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | pat ent·a·bili·ty —NOUN
patent·a·ble —ADJECTIVE
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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