Where does “patentless” come from?
patentless (English) comes from English patent, from Middle English patent, from Middle French patent, from Old French patent, from Latin patēns, from Latin pateō, from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- — to spread out; to fly.
patentless (English): Without a patent or patents
Definitions
- Without a patent or patents
Ancestry of “patentless”, step by step
patentless 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 |