Définition "patent" dans le dictionnaire Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus

patent (patents plural & 3rd person present) (patenting present participle) (patented past tense & past participle )
The pronunciation [PH:p][PH:G][PH:t][PH:&][PH:n][PH:t] is also used for meanings 1 and 2 in British English.

1 n-count A patent is an official right to be the only person or company allowed to make or sell a new product for a certain period of time.
P&G applied for a patent on its cookies...

2 verb If you patent something, you obtain a patent for it.
He patented the idea that the atom could be split... V n

3  adj You use patent to describe something, especially something bad, in order to indicate in an emphatic way that you think its nature or existence is clear and obvious., (emphasis) (=obvious)
This was patent nonsense.
♦ patently  adv (=clearly)
He made his displeasure patently obvious...