/ ˈpeɪʃnt; NAmE / noun , adjective
■ noun
1.
a person who is receiving medical treatment, especially in a hospital :
cancer patients
2.
a person who receives treatment from a particular doctor, dentist, etc. :
He's one of Dr Shaw's patients.
3.
( grammar ) the person or thing that is affected by the action of the verb. In the sentence 'I started the car', the patient is car .
—compare agent
■ adjective
patient (with sb/sth) able to wait for a long time or accept annoying behaviour or difficulties without becoming angry :
She's very patient with young children.
You'll just have to be patient and wait till I'm finished.
► pa·tient·ly adverb :
She sat patiently waiting for her turn.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French , from Latin patient- suffering, from the verb pati .