Where does “patent” come from?

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

patent (Romanian): patent

Definitions

  1. patent

Ancestry of “patent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchpatentpatent
2Latinpatēnsbeing opening; open
3Latinpateōto be open, accessible, attainable
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpeth₂-to spread out; to fly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- →Every word from Latin pateō →Every word from Latin patēns →