patent
Definitions
An exclusive legal right granted to an inventor to make or sell an invention for a set period.
专利；专利权
To obtain a patent for an invention.
取得…的专利；申请专利
Clear and obvious; plainly visible to everyone.
明显的；显而易见的
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Latin patēre 'to lie open' (sibling of pandere 'to spread open') + -ent = 'lying open, open to view.' A medieval letter patent was an 'open letter' — an unsealed official document, readable by all, that granted a right. Used to grant inventors exclusive rights, the document's name became the right itself: a patent. The adjective keeps the original sense — a patent lie is one lying plainly open to view.
Root pand still carries 6 more wordsWhy It Means This
Two seemingly unrelated meanings, one origin. Both come from 'open to view.' The legal patent traces to the 'open letter' (littera patens) that publicly announced a granted right; over time the word for the open document came to name the exclusive right it conferred. The adjective patent ('obvious') simply keeps the literal sense: something patently obvious is so open that no one can miss it.
Usage Guide
- Legal noun (most common): file/apply for a patent, hold a patent, patent infringement — the exclusive right.
- Verb: patent an invention — to secure that right.
- Adjective 'obvious' (formal/literary): a patent lie, a patent absurdity, and the adverb patently — patently false, patently unfair.
- Pronunciation note: in the legal/invention senses, UK often says /ˈpeɪtnt/; the adjective 'obvious' is usually /ˈpeɪtnt/. In American English the noun is typically /ˈpætnt/.
Example Sentences
- 1.
She filed a patent for her new battery design last month.
- 2.
The company was sued for patent infringement.
- 3.
They decided to patent the invention before showing it publicly.
- 4.
His excuse was a patent lie that fooled no one.