noun / verb / adjective
patent
PAT-unt/ˈpætnt/
An exclusive legal right to an invention.
The inventor receives a patent for the mechanical device.
Etymology
“Lying open” described an “open letter,” an official document granting a right or permission. Patent then narrowed to a government grant of exclusive rights over an invention.
In context
a patent is a property right granted by the government to an inventor as I indicated earlier it gives you the right to exclude others from making using selling offering for sale your invention
More examples
- She patented the new process.
- Several patents covered the design.
- The company is patenting its invention.
Forms
patent · patents · patented · patenting
Similar words
- copyright
- Protects original expression rather than an invention.
- trademark
- Identifies a business's goods or services.