A word with two primary pronunciations: as a noun meaning a government grant for an invention (PA-tent, stress on first syllable) and as a verb meaning to obtain such a grant or to reveal something publicly (pa-TENT, stress on second syllable). In noun form it can also refer to something obvious or evident in older usage. The distinction is typically clear from the sentence stress pattern.
"The inventor filed a patent to protect his device."
"Her patent on the innovation was granted last year."
"The contract was patent in its clarity, leaving no room for doubt."
"She wore the patent badge of the organization as a sign of membership."
Patent comes from Middle English, from Old French paten, itself from Latin patere meaning ‘to lie open, be evident’ and anciently related to patens meaning ‘open, accessible’. The legal sense of a government grant to an inventor emerged in the late medieval period as states began recognising exclusive rights to inventions. In English law, patent documents date back to at least the 15th century, with the modern patent system evolving in the 18th and 19th centuries as industrialisation accelerated. The adjective form ‘patent’ (obvious) appears in the 16th century, derived from the same Latin root patere via Old French paten, capturing the sense of openness or visibility. Over time, the noun shifted to a specific legal instrument; the verb sense to obtain or reveal patent rights followed later in usage, aligning with bureaucratic and commercial language. First known uses are attested in legal records and treatises where exclusive rights for inventions were explicitly granted, often sealed and witnessed, hence the enduring idea of brightness or clarity in the term’s semantic core.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Patent" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Patent" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Patent"
-ant sounds
-unt sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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US/UK/AU pronunciation centers the first syllable with the long vowel: /ˈpeɪ.tənt/. In careful speech you’ll hear two syllables with stress on the first for the noun: PAT-ent. For the verb, stress shifts to the second syllable: pa-TENT. Keep the /eɪ/ vowel as a tense, mid-front vowel, and follow with a schwa in the second syllable in many rapid conversations. Practice with: PAT-ent (noun) vs pa-TENT (verb).
Two frequent errors: first, misplacing stress on the second syllable for the noun, which makes you sound like you’re saying the verb; second, reducing the second syllable too much to a vowel-like ‘-nt’ without the middle vowel. Correct by clearly voicing the /ə/ (schwa) in the first-syllable reduction if needed and maintaining a strong /t/ at the end for the noun, or releasing the /t/ fully for the verb. Also avoid turning /eɪ/ into a lax vowel; keep it as a tense /eɪ/ in both pronunciations.
US/UK/AU share the /ˈpeɪ.tənt/ skeleton, but rhoticity affects vowel quality in connected speech. In US, you’ll often hear a slightly longer /eɪ/ and a crisp /t/; the second syllable’s /ə/ can be more pronounced in careful speech. UK tends toward a lighter, quicker second syllable with less emphasis on the schwa; AU vowels may be a touch flatter with less tension. Rhythm and linking also shift: US tends to stronger syllable-timed rhythm, UK more syllable-timed, AU intermediate.
The challenge is the stress shift between noun and verb and the short schwa in the second syllable, which can be elided in rapid speech. The first syllable’s /eɪ/ requires a tense, mid-front tongue position, while the second syllable uses a relaxed /ə/ that can blur if you hurry. Additionally, the final /nt/ cluster can harden to /nt/ or soften in some accents, so you must keep the release precise to preserve the correct meaning.
A distinctive feature is the contrastive stress pattern that flips between the noun and verb: ˈpeɪt(ə)nt for the noun and paˈtent for the verb. This isn’t merely pitch; it involves timing and vowel quality in the second syllable. Mastering this requires practicing minimal pairs and phrase-level stress to ensure the listener perceives the intended meaning.
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