Where does “patentable” come from?
Patentable derives from English patent combined with the Middle English suffix -able, from Old French -able, from Latin -abilis, ultimately traceable through Latin patina and Ancient Greek πατάνη to the Proto-Indo-European root peth₂-.
patentable (English): Able to be protected by a patent; for which a...
Definitions
- Able to be protected by a patent; for which a...
Ancestry of “patentable”, step by step
patentable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English patent
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | patent | A declaration issued by a government agency... |
| 2 | Middle English | patent | A letter conferring a privilege or status; Such a... |
| 3 | Middle French | patent | — |
| 4 | Old French | patent | — |
| 5 | Latin | patēns | being opening; open |
| 6 | Latin | pateō | to be open, accessible, attainable |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | peth₂- | to spread out; to fly |
via Spanish patentar
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | patentar | to patent |
| 2 | Spanish | -ar | In adjectives, indicating membership or status;... |
| 3 | Old Spanish | -ar | indicates membership or status |
| 4 | Latin | -ō | suffixed to nouns or adjectives. Originally a-stem nouns. Later extended to nouns with other stems. Forms regular first-conjugation verbs |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |