| patellar reflex |
the reflective kicking response of the lower leg when the tendon below the patella is tapped sharply. |
| paten |
a metal plate, esp. for holding the bread in Christian communion services. |
| patency |
the state of being plain, obvious, or patent. [2 definitions] |
| patent |
a government grant to an inventor, giving for a specified period the exclusive right to make, use, or sell an invented device, process, or the like. [7 definitions] |
| patentable |
combined form of patent. |
| patent ambiguity |
in law, the uncertainty that exists when the language used in a document can have more than one meaning. |
| patented |
having a patent, a legal protection that allows an inventor the sole rights to make, use, or sell what he or she has invented for a particular period of time. |
| patentee |
a person or other entity that has been granted a patent. |
| patent leather |
leather that is treated in a formerly patented process to achieve a hard, glossy, usu. black finish. |
| patent medicine |
a medical preparation that is protected by a trademark and that may be purchased without a prescription. |
| patent office |
in the U.S. government, an agency of the Department of Commerce that administers the patent and trademark laws; Patent and Trademark Office. |
| patentor |
the issuer of a patent. |
| patent right |
an exclusive right conferred by a patent, esp. to manufacture and sell an invention. |
| paterfamilias |
the male head of a family or household, esp. the father. |
| paternal |
of, concerning, or typical of a father. [3 definitions] |
| paternalism |
the practice or policy of controlling or managing people in a nation, corporation, school, or the like in a paternal manner, by taking care of their needs but giving them virtually no responsibility. |
| paternity |
the fact or state of being a father; fatherhood. [4 definitions] |
| paternoster |
the Lord's Prayer, esp. when said in Latin. [2 definitions] |
| path |
a track beaten by the feet of people or animals. [4 definitions] |
| pathetic |
arousing feelings of pity, sorrow, or tender concern. [2 definitions] |
| pathetic fallacy |
the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, a technique esp. used in literature as in the sentence, "The angry waves pounded the beach". |