Meanings
- pluralplural of letter patent
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA type of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority to direct that some action be taken; to grant a monopoly, right, status, or title to a person or organization; to record a contract.
More synonyms by meaning
nounan official document granting a right or privilege
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*peth₂-“to spread out; to fly”
- Latinlitterae patentēs
- Anglo-Normanlettres patentes
- Middle Englishlettres patentes
- Englishletters patent
From letters patents (archaic), from Late Middle English lettres patentes, lettres patent (“document or documents granting a privilege, power, or right, making an appointment or decree, etc.”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman lettres patentes (the plural of lettre patente), from Latin litterae patentēs, the plural of littera patēns (so called because they were written on open sheets of parchment), from littera (“letter”) + patēns (“accessible, open”) (the present active participle of pateō (“to be accessible or open; to be clear or evident”), from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread out; to fly”)). The English term is analysable as letters + patent (“open, unconcealed; (archaic) open to public perusal”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans patentbrief
- patentbrieftype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Arabic براءة تمليك
- براءة تمليكtype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Catalan carta patent
- carta patenttype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Chinese Mandarin 專利特許證 /专利特许证
- 專利特許證 /专利特许证 (zhuānlì tèxǔzhèng)type of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Dutch octrooi, wapendiploma
- octrooitype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- wapendiplomatype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Finnish patentti, patenttikirja
- patenttitype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- patenttikirjatype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- lupakirjatype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- valtakirjatype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
French lettres patentes
- lettres patentestype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
German Patent, Patentschrift
- Patenttype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- Patentschrifttype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- Patenturkundetype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Hebrew מכתב הרשאה
- מכתב הרשאהtype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Hungarian pátens, kiváltságlevél
- pátenstype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- kiváltságlevéltype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- nemeslevéltype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Indonesian surat paten
- surat patentype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Italian lettere patenti
- lettere patentitype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Japanese 勅許状, 開封特許状
- 勅許状 (chokkyo-jō)type of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- 開封特許状 (kaifū tokkyo-jō)type of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- 特許状 (tokkyo-jō)type of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Latin litterae patentēs
- litterae patentēstype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Malay surat paten
- surat patentype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Persian فرمان علنی
- فرمان علنیtype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Polish patent
- patenttype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Portuguese carta-patente
- carta-patentetype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Russian патентная гра́мота
- патентная гра́мота (patentnaja grámota)type of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Spanish patente de privilegio, cédula de privilegio
- patente de privilegiotype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- cédula de privilegiotype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Swedish kungligt brev
- kungligt brevtype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Turkish patent, berat
- patenttype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- berattype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
- imtiyaznametype of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with letters patent
All rhymes →Cite this entry
letters patent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/letters%20patent
“letters patent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/letters%20patent. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “letters patent,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/letters%20patent.
Source: letters patent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.