I. pa ‧ tient 1 S2 W1 /ˈpeɪʃ ə nt/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ patience ≠ ↑ impatience , ↑ patient ; adverb : ↑ patiently ≠ ↑ impatiently ; adjective : ↑ patient ≠ ↑ impatient ]
someone who is receiving medical treatment from a doctor or in a hospital
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + patient
▪ a cancer/AIDS etc patient
One in three cancer patients suffers no pain at all.
▪ a heart patient (=one with heart disease)
Some heart patients have to wait between three months and a year for surgery.
▪ a mental/psychiatric patient (=one with problems relating to their mind)
The drug was used in the past to treat mental patients.
▪ a seriously ill/critically ill patient
The ward was packed with seriously ill patients.
▪ a hospital patient
All hospital patients have to follow a daily routine.
■ verbs
▪ treat a patient (=try to cure their illness or injury)
Patients are treated in terms of priority.
▪ see a patient
I stayed in the treatment room while the doctor saw another patient.
▪ examine a patient
Can you please wait outside while the physician examines the patient.
▪ a patient receives treatment/a drug
Twelve of these patients were receiving treatment with a new drug.
▪ a patient responds to treatment (=starts recovering)
Some patients respond quickly and satisfactorily to treatment.
▪ a patient recovers
The treatment succeeded and the patient recovered rapidly.
▪ a patient is admitted (to hospital)
This examination should be done when the patient is admitted to hospital.
▪ a patient is discharged (from hospital) (=allowed to leave it)
The patient was discharged after eight days.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ customer someone who buys goods or services from a shop or company:
Customers were waiting for the shop to open.
|
The bank is one of our biggest customers.
▪ client someone who pays for a service from a professional person or company:
He has a meeting with one of his clients.
|
The company buys and sells shares on behalf of their clients
▪ shopper someone who goes to the shops looking for things to buy:
The streets were full of Christmas shoppers.
▪ guest someone who pays to stay in a hotel:
Guests must leave their rooms by 10 am.
▪ patron /ˈpeɪtrən/ formal a customer of a particular shop, restaurant or hotel – usually written on signs:
The notice said ‘Parking for Patrons Only’.
▪ patient someone who is getting medical treatment from a doctor, or in a hospital:
He is a patient of Dr Williams.
▪ consumer anyone who buys goods or uses services – used when considering these people as a group who have particular rights, needs, or behaviour:
Consumers are demanding more environmentally-friendly products.
|
the rights of the consumer
|
The law is designed to protect consumers who buy goods on the Internet.
▪ market the number of people who want to buy a product, or the type of people who want to buy it:
The market for organic food is growing all the time.
|
a magazine aimed at the youth market
▪ clientele /ˌkliːənˈtel $ ˌklaɪənˈtel, ˌkliː-/ formal the type of customers that a particular shop, restaurant etc gets:
The hotel has a very upmarket clientele.
|
They have a wealthy international clientele.
II. patient 2 W3 BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ patience ≠ ↑ impatience , ↑ patient ; adverb : ↑ patiently ≠ ↑ impatiently ; adjective : ↑ patient ≠ ↑ impatient ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin , present participle of pati 'to suffer' ]
able to wait calmly for a long time or to accept difficulties, people’s annoying behaviour etc without becoming angry OPP impatient :
You’ll just have to be patient and wait till I’m off the phone.
patient with
Louise was very patient with me.
—patiently adverb :
He waited patiently for Katherine to speak.