patent
UK[ˈpeɪt(ə)nt]US[ˈpæt(ə)nt]
n
a government authority or license conferring a right or title for a set period, especially the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention.
adj
easily recognizable; obvious.
v
obtain a patent for (an invention).
Morpheme Breakdown
pat
ent
pat
open
ent
adjective suffix
Etymology
the word 'patent' originates from the latin 'patēre', meaning 'to be open'. this evolved into the medieval latin term 'patens' (genitive 'patentis'), an adjective meaning 'open' or 'exposed'. in legal contexts, 'letters patent' were open letters from a monarch, so named because they were not sealed but open for public inspection, granting an exclusive right. this concept of an open, public grant was later specialized to its modern meaning of an exclusive right to an invention, while the core sense of 'openness' also persists in the adjective meaning 'obvious'.
Analysis
Structure: pat (open) + ent (adjective suffix)
'pat' from latin 'patēre' (to lie open, be accessible). 'ent' from latin '-ent-', a suffix forming adjectives (and later nouns) meaning 'being in a state of'.
Examples
he filed a patent for his innovative water purification device.
it was patent to everyone that she was lying.
the company hopes to patent the new chemical compound within a year.