pat ‧ tern ‧ ing /ˈpæt ə nɪŋ $ -tər-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
1 . technical the development of particular ways of behaving, thinking, doing things etc that are the result of copying and repeating actions, language etc:
cultural patterning
patterning of
the patterning of parent–child relationships
2 . patterns of a particular kind, especially on an animal’s skin