Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “patent” come from?

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

patent (Middle English): A letter conferring a privilege or status; Such a...

Definitions

  1. A letter conferring a privilege or status; Such a...

Ancestry of “patent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchpatent—
2Old Frenchpatent—
3Latinpatēns—
4Latinpateō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpeth₂-to spread out; to fly

Words derived from “patent”

  • patent
  • patently
  • patentee
  • patency
  • patentable
  • patentability
  • unpatentable
  • prepatent
  • nonpatent
  • unpatentability
  • patentably
  • nonpatentable
  • patentholder
  • nonpatentability
  • subpatent
  • patentlike
  • antipatent
  • patentor
  • patentless
  • repatent
  • patentese
  • biopatent
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- →