PATTERN


Meaning of PATTERN in English

I. ˈpa-tərn noun

Etymology: Middle English patron, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin patronus

Date: 14th century

1. : a form or model proposed for imitation : exemplar

2. : something designed or used as a model for making things

a dressmaker's pattern

3. : an artistic, musical, literary, or mechanical design or form

4. : a natural or chance configuration

frost pattern s

the pattern of events

5. : a length of fabric sufficient for an article (as of clothing)

6.

a. : the distribution of shrapnel, bombs on a target, or shot from a shotgun

b. : the grouping made on a target by bullets

7. : a reliable sample of traits, acts, tendencies, or other observable characteristics of a person, group, or institution

a behavior pattern

spending pattern s

8.

a. : the flight path prescribed for an airplane that is coming in for a landing

b. : a prescribed route to be followed by a pass receiver in football

9. : test pattern

10. : a discernible coherent system based on the intended interrelationship of component parts

foreign policy pattern s

11. : frequent or widespread incidence

a pattern of dissent

a pattern of violence

Synonyms: see model

• pat·terned -tərnd adjective

• pat·tern·less adjective

II. verb

Date: circa 1586

transitive verb

1. dialect chiefly England

a. : match

b. : imitate

2. : to make, adapt, or fashion according to a pattern

3. : to furnish, adorn, or mark with a design

intransitive verb

: to form a pattern

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.