patent

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   An official right giving an inventor sole control over making and selling an invention for a set period.

   The company holds a patent on the new battery design.

2. 2
   verb

   To obtain a patent for an invention.

   He decided to patent his new device before showing it to investors.

3. 3
   noun

   Shiny, varnished leather used for shoes and accessories.

   She wore black patent shoes to the party.

Common collocations

• patent leather Noun + noun

The noun is derived from Middle English patent (“document granting an office, property, right, title, etc.; document granting permission, licence; papal indulgence, pardon”) [and other forms], which is either: * a clipping of lettre patent, lettres patente, lettres patentes [and other forms]; or * directly from Anglo-Norman and Middle French patente (modern French patent), a clipping of Anglo-Norman lettres patentes, Middle French lettres patentes, lettre patente, and Old French patentes lettres (“document granting an office, privilege, right, etc., or making a decree”) (compare Late Latin pat…

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images