Where does “patent” come from?
Patent comes from Middle English patent, from Middle French patent, from Latin patens, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pete-, meaning to spread or stretch open.
patent (English): A declaration issued by a government agency...
Definitions
- A declaration issued by a government agency...
Ancestry of “patent”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | patent | A letter conferring a privilege or status; Such a... |
| 2 | Middle French | patent | — |
| 3 | Old French | patent | — |
| 4 | Latin | patēns | — |
| 5 | Latin | pateō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | peth₂- | to spread out; to fly |
Words derived from “patent”