![]() 902,788,203 visitors served. |
|
![]() Dictionary/ thesaurus | ![]() Medical dictionary | ![]() Legal dictionary | ![]() Financial dictionary | ![]() Acronyms | ![]() Idioms | ![]() Encyclopedia | ![]() Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
patent |
Also found in: Medical, Legal, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.01 sec. |
patent Noun 1. a. an official document granting the exclusive right to make, use, and sell an invention for a limited period b. the right granted by such a document 2. an invention protected by a patent Adjective 1. open or available for inspection: letters patent 2. obvious: their scorn was patent to everyone 3. concerning protection of or appointment by a patent 4. (of food, drugs, etc.) made or held under a patent Verb to obtain a patent for (an invention) [Latin patere to lie open]
USAGE: The pronunciation pat-tunt is heard in letters patent and Patent Office and is the usual US pronunciation for all senses. In Britain pat-tunt is sometimes heard for senses 1, 2 and 3, but pay-tunt is commoner and is regularly used in collocations like patent leather. ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
patent adjective 2. obvious, apparent, evident, blatant, open, clear, glaring, manifest, transparent, conspicuous, downright, unmistakable, palpable, unequivocal, flagrant, indisputable, unconcealed Translationsvt → patentar adj → patent(e) → manifeste vt → patentieren lassen adj (= obvious) → offensichtlich vt → brevettare |
|
? Mentioned in | ? References in classic literature | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| That reminds me to remark, in passing, that the very first official thing I did, in my adminis- tration -- and it was on the very first day of it, too -- was to start a patent office; for I knew that a country without a patent office and good patent laws was just a crab, and couldn't travel any way but sideways or backways. * The grants of land, made either by the crown or the state, were but letters patent under the great seal, and the term “patent” is usually applied to any district of extent thus conceded; though under the crown’, manorial rights being often granted with the soil, in the older counties the word “manor” is frequently used. While stumbling through this Slough of Despond, he was called to Washington by his patent lawyer. |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Browser extension |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content NEW! | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|
|---|