a document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention
"After years of development, the engineer finally received her patent for the new solar panel technology."
an official document granting a right or privilege
"The inventor finally received his patent, giving him exclusive rights to sell his new invention for twenty years."
An official document granting an appointment, privilege, or right, or some property or title; letters patent.
"The ancient scroll contained a royal patent that officially granted him the exclusive right to mine gold in the northern territories."
In plain English: A patent is an official legal document that gives an inventor the exclusive right to make, use, and sell their new invention for a set period of time.
"The inventor filed for a patent to protect her new design."
Usage: Use "patent" as a noun to refer to the legal document that grants an inventor exclusive rights to make, use, and sell their specific invention for a set period. Do not confuse this with the adjective meaning obvious or easily seen, which describes something rather than a legal grant.
grant rights to; grant a patent for
"The government will soon patent that inventor's groundbreaking new solar panel design."
To (successfully) register (a new invention) with a government agency to obtain the sole privilege of its manufacture, sale, and use for a specified period.
"The inventor spent months gathering evidence before finally filing patent paperwork to secure exclusive rights to her groundbreaking water filtration system."
In plain English: To patent something means to officially give someone exclusive rights to make or sell an invention for a certain period of time.
"They decided to patent their new invention so others couldn't copy it."
Usage: Use "patent" as a verb when describing the act of officially registering an invention to secure exclusive legal rights. Do not confuse this technical meaning with the adjective form, which simply means obvious or clear to see.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
"the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields"
"evident hostility"
"manifest disapproval"
"patent advantages"
"made his meaning plain"
"it is plain that he is no reactionary"
"in plain view"
"a palpable lie"
Conspicuous; open; unconcealed.
"He walked into the room with a patent disregard for everyone else's discomfort, ignoring their protests to make his own loud entrance."
Of flour: fine, and consisting mostly of the inner part of the endosperm of the grain from which it is milled.
"The baker selected patent flour for the delicate cake because its fine texture comes from milling only the soft inner layers of the wheat kernel."
In plain English: Patent means something that is officially approved and protected by law so only the owner can use it.
"The company holds a patent on that new invention."
Usage: Do not use "patent" as an adjective to mean obvious or clear; instead, reserve it strictly for describing legal rights granted by the government. Use words like "obvious," "clear," or "apparent" when you intend to convey that something is conspicuous or unconcealed.
The word comes from the Middle French pateant, meaning open or public. It entered English to describe a document that openly grants rights or titles rather than keeping them secret.