patent

(noun) a document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention. Synonyms: patent of invention.

(noun) an official document granting a right or privilege. Synonyms: letters patent.

(verb) obtain a patent for. Example: "Should i patent this invention?."

(verb) grant rights to; grant a patent for.

(verb) make open to sight or notice. Example: "His behavior has patented an embarrassing fact about him."

(adj) (of a bodily tube or passageway) open; affording free passage. Example: "Patent ductus arteriosus."

(adj) clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment. Synonyms: apparent, evident, manifest, plain, unmistakable. Examples: "The effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields." "Evident hostility." "Manifest disapproval." "Patent advantages." "Made his meaning plain." "It is plain that he is no reactionary." "In plain view."