Where does “Patent” come from?

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

Patent (German): patent

Definitions

  1. patent

Ancestry of “Patent”, step by step

Patent traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin patēns

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpatēnsbeing opening; open
2Latinpateōto be open, accessible, attainable
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpeth₂-to spread out; to fly

via French lettre patente

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchlettre patente—
2Latinlittera patensopen letter

Words derived from “Patent”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- →Every word from Latin pateō →Every word from Latin patēns →
Patent — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer