patent meaning and definition

PATENT noun

Definition of patent (noun)

1. a document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention
   • synonyms: patent of invention
2. an official document granting a right or privilege
   • synonyms: letters patent

PATENT verb

Definition of patent (verb)

1. obtain a patent for
   • "Should I patent this invention?"
2. grant rights to; grant a patent for
3. make open to sight or notice
   • "His behavior has patented an embarrassing fact about him"

PATENT adjective

Definition of patent (adjective)

1. (of a bodily tube or passageway) open; affording free passage
   • "patent ductus arteriosus"
2. clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
   • "the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields"; "evident hostility"; "manifest disapproval"; "patent advantages"; "made his meaning plain"; "it is plain that he is no reactionary"; "in plain view"
   • synonyms: apparent, evident, manifest, plain, unmistakable