patent

patent — noun

1. a legal protection for a set number of years that gives one inventor or company

1.nounC1
Definition

a legal protection for a set number of years that gives one inventor or company sole control over how an invention is produced, used, and marketed; also the paper proving that protection.

Example

After five years of tests, the team finally received a patent.

common verbs: receive / apply for / hold a patent

Without a patent, smaller firms could copy the new battery design.

Common collocations
  • apply for a patent
  • hold a patent
  • patent holder
  • grant a patent
  • patent for an invention
Synonyms
  • exclusive right

    a broad legal phrase for sole control; less specific than patent

  • patent right

    formal legal wording for the right created by a patent

  • monopoly

    used in legal or economic discussion to stress sole control, not the document

Antonyms
  • public domain

    used for material or ideas that anyone may use freely

Grammar Patterns

have a patent on + [invention]

apply for a patent

patent for + [product/process]

Usage Note

Often appears with verbs such as 'apply for', 'grant', 'hold', and 'sell'. In business and legal English, 'patent' may mean either the right itself or the paper that proves it.

Common Mistakes

The company has a copyright on the new engine.
The company has a patent on the new engine.
copyrights protect books, music, and art; patents protect inventions.

2. a type of leather with a hard, shiny surface, often used for formal shoes, bags,

2.nounC2
Definition

a type of leather with a hard, shiny surface, often used for formal shoes, bags, and belts.

Example

The dance shoes used black patent with a soft cloth lining.

fashion material: black patent

Lina wiped the patent leather on her wedding heels before packing them away.

Common collocations
  • black patent
  • red patent
  • patent-leather shoes
  • patent bag
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

made of patent

patent with + [other material]

Usage Note

Usually used in the fixed phrase 'patent leather'. In fashion writing, 'patent' by itself can name the material when the item is already clear from context.

Common Mistakes

He wore patent shoes to the concert.
He wore patent-leather shoes to the concert.
before a noun, English usually uses 'patent-leather' as an adjective.

patent — verb

patent — adjective

Word family

  • patented
    adjectiveC1
  • patently
    adverbC2
  • patentable
    adjectiveC2
  • patentee
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A patent protects an invention such as a machine, process, or new design idea, and it gives the owner a temporary legal right to stop others from making or selling it. Copyright protects books, music, films, software, and other creative works, not inventions. A trademark protects a name, logo, or other sign used to identify a brand in the market. A licence is different again: it is permission to use, sell, or produce something, often given by the patent owner rather than by the government. Remember: you patent a new battery, copyright a novel, trademark a brand name, and give a factory a licence to use your invention.

patent ↗copyright ↗trademark ↗licence ↗

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word comes from Latin patere, meaning 'be open'. Through French and Middle English, it was first used for official open letters that could be read publicly. From that legal use came the noun and verb about invention rights, while the adjective meaning 'obvious' developed from the idea of something lying open to view.