Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PATENT

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explore the archives: "Clear," "evident," or "obvious" may suit your idea best. Or you might need "patent," which means the same thing but has a tone of legality or officialdom. Another synonym is m_____st, whose tone is often natural, beautiful, glorious, even religious. Can you recall it? make your point with... "PATENT" Something patent is very easy to notice. In other words, patent things are obvious and evident. Pronunciation: Several ways are correct. I prefer "PAT 'nt." Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a patent thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was patent.") Other forms: The adverb is "patently," and the noun is "patency." Why it's spelled the same as "patent," the legal document: Patents were originally called "letters patent," meaning literally "open letters," and they give you the official right to make, use, or sell something. Getting back to our adjective, something patent is open in the sense that it's on display: that anyone can see it. ("Patent" also has special uses in medicine and botany that basically mean "open.") How to use it: Talk about patent facts and patent evidence, patent insanity and patent nonsense, patent success and patent failure, etc. Or, say "It's patent that (something is true or something has happened)" or "It became patent that..." Something can be patent to your senses, patent to everybody who was there, patent to the American people, etc. The adverb, "patently," almost always has a negative meaning: "the accusation was patently false," "they are patently unfit to run a company," "that purchase was patently frivolous." examples: We played around with the app until it became patent that all of the real content was blocked by a paywall. Let me know if you see another patently useless kitchen device, like the pancake slicer. They are hilarious. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "patent" means when you can explain it without saying "open to view" or "readily noticed." try it out: Think of something totally ridiculous you heard or saw. Fill in the blanks: "_____ was patently absurd." Example: "After being called out for her racist and cruel comments, the girl claimed she was being bullied--which was patently absurd." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we’re playing with anagrams: rearrangements of the letters in a word to form new words. (For example, “care” has two anagrams: “acre” and “race.”) Looking for these makes you a stronger player in other word games. But more importantly, it helps you practice thinking flexibly and methodically. Plus you get to giggle at potential non-words and discover new real words. We’ll work our way from shorter to longer anagrams. And at any point if you wonder why I left out a word you wanted to list, or why I included a word you think isn’t a real one, hold your fire: our authority for this game is ScrabbleWordFinder.org, which draws from a highly inclusive dictionary. Let’s play! From yesterday: What are the 4 anagrams for TEARDROP? Answer: PARROTED, PREDATOR, PRORATED, and PROTRADE. If you got just one or two of those, that's still fantastic! Try this last one today; it's a doozy: What are the 5 anagrams for PERTAINS? review today's word: 1. The opposite of PATENT is A. LATENT B. FERVENT C. RAMPANT 2. I was absent that day, but apparently she had been _____ for her patent _____. A. asked .. interpretation of the author's point B. grilled .. reading of the lengthy assigned chapters C. kicked out of class .. disrespect to the professor Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. C