PATENT


Meaning of PATENT in English

noun , adjective , verb

■ noun

/ ˈpætnt; NAmE ; BrE also ˈpeɪtnt/ [ C , U ] an official right to be the only person to make, use or sell a product or an invention; a document that proves this :

to apply for / obtain a patent on an invention

The device was protected by patent .

■ adjective /ˈpeɪtnt; NAmE also ˈpætnt/ [ only before noun ]

1.

connected with a patent :

patent applications / laws

the US Patent Office

2.

( of a product ) made or sold by a particular company :

patent medicines

3.

( formal ) used to emphasize that sth bad is very clear and obvious

SYN blatant :

It was a patent lie.

■ verb

/ˈpætnt; BrE also ˈpeɪtnt/ [ vn ] to obtain a patent for an invention or a process

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WORD ORIGIN

late Middle English : from Old French , from Latin patent- lying open, from the verb patere . The noun sense is from letters patent .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.