patent

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You can consider a patent analogous to records, if you view each as a set of instructions, that is, a patent is a blueprint to construct some physical thing (e.g. a vaccine), a record contains a blueprint to construct a sound wave.

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Definitions (55)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (18)

  1. noun A grant made by a government that confers upon the creator of an invention the sole right to make, use, and sell that invention for a set period of time.
  2. noun Letters patent.
  3. noun An invention protected by such a grant.

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Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

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Examples (50)

  • The technology described in this patent is an "adaption of speech recognition system across multiple remote sessions with speaker (patent foot note)," which is essentially the result of storing multiple acoustical models for one speaker. —  Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en]
  • I'm not sure if the patent will be approved or not, but I feel as though I should have been listed jointly at the very least. —  Mandolin Cafe News
  • Also included in the patent is the concept that the car will be able to detect your emotional state -- to a limited extent -- react accordingly, and even emote right back at you. —  Fast Company
  • You can consider a patent analogous to records, if you view each as a set of instructions, that is, a patent is a blueprint to construct some physical thing (e.g. a vaccine), a record contains a blueprint to construct a sound wave. —  Locus Online News
  • Given the internal costs of preparing a patent application and what most patent attorneys and agents charge for their services, the cost of filing a patent is already a few thousand dollars. —  Techdirt
 

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

copyright ·  grant ·  charter ·  license ·  contract ·  commission ·  treaty ·  document ·  privilege ·  only ·  lease ·  security

Used in the same contextWord Family

patent:   patenting ·  patents ·  patented
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, document granting a right, short for (lettre) patent, open (letter), from Old French (lettre) patente, from Latin patēns, patent-, open, present participle of patēre, to be open; see petə- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English patente, a patent; from Old French (and F.) patent, adjective, patente, n., = Spanish Portuguese Italian patente, adjective and n., = D. G. Danish Swedish patent, n., from Latin paten(t-)s, lying open, open, public (litteræpatentes, an open letter, a letter to whom it may concern, a patent), present participle of patere, lie open; cf. Greek πεταννύναι, spread out. From the L. √ pat are also ult. English pace, pass, passage, etc., and prob. expand, expanse, etc.
  2. from patent, n.
 

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/ˈpætənt/
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