TOP

Definition of patent noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

patent

noun
 
 
/ˈpætnt/,
 
/ˈpeɪtnt/
 
/ˈpætnt/
[countable, uncountable]
jump to other results
  1. an official right to be the only person to make, use or sell a product or an invention; a document that proves this
    • patent on something to apply for/obtain/take out a patent on an invention
    • by patent The device was protected by patent.
    • patent applications/laws
    • the US Patent Office
    Extra Examples
    • Edison took out a patent on the light bulb.
    • In 1843 Bain filed a patent for his fax machine.
    • In 1995 he was granted a patent for his invention.
    • The item is Patent Pending No. 11092001.
    • a leading authority on patent law
    Topics Businessc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + patent
    • apply for
    • file
    • get
    • …
    patent + verb
    • expire
    • cover
    • protect
    • …
    patent + noun
    • application
    • protection
    • law
    • …
    preposition
    • patent for
    • patent on
    phrases
    • patent pending
    See full entry
    Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, from Latin patent- ‘lying open’, from the verb patere. The noun sense is from letters patent.
See patent in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee patent in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: patent

Nearby words

elaborate
adjective
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 5000
C1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day