Where does “patent” come from?

patent (Czech) comes from Latin patēns, from Latin pateō, from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- — to spread out; to fly.

patent (Czech): patent declaration issued by a government to an inventor

Definitions

  1. patent declaration issued by a government to an inventor

Ancestry of “patent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpatēnsbeing opening; open
2Latinpateōto be open, accessible, attainable
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpeth₂-to spread out; to fly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- →Every word from Latin pateō →Every word from Latin patēns →