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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..., He held a number of patents for his many innovations...  
2  verb If you patent something, you obtain a patent for it. 
He patented the idea that the atom could be split...  V n 
...a patented machine called the VCR II.  V-ed 
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., ...a patent lie.  
 patently    adv  (=clearly) 
He made his displeasure patently obvious...