<B>patriotic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>loving one's country. <BR> <I>Ex. a patriotic soldier.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>showing love and loyal support of one's country. <BR> <I>Ex. A patriotic mind anxious to be proud of its country even in little things (H. G. Wells).</I> adv. <B>patriotically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="patriotism">
<B>patriotism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> love and loyal support of one's country. <BR> <I>Ex. Patriotism is absolutely essential to national welfare (Emory S. Bogardus).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="patriotsday">
<B>Patriots' Day,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) April 19, the anniversary of the skirmishes in the Revolutionary War, at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, observed as a legal holiday in Maine and Massachusetts. </DL>
<A NAME="patristic">
<B>patristic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with the early leaders, or fathers, of the Christian Church, or with their writings. adv. <B>patristically.</B> </DL>
<B>patristics, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the study of the doctrines, writings, and lives of the fathers of the Christian Church. </DL>
<A NAME="patroclus">
<B>Patroclus, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Greek Legend.) a friend of Achilles, slain in battle in Achilles' armor by Hector while Achilles sulked in his tent. </DL>
<A NAME="patrol">
<B>patrol, </B>verb, <B>-trolled,</B> <B>-trolling,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to go the rounds as a watchman or a policeman does watching, guarding, and checking irregularity or disorder so as to protect life and property. <BR> <I>Ex. Police patrol at night guarding the town.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to go on patrol; reconnoiter as a patrol. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to go around (an area, district, camp or building) to watch or guard. <BR> <I>Ex. The camp was carefully patrolled.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to make a patrol of; reconnoiter. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the act of going the rounds to watch or guard. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person or persons who patrol. <BR> <I>Ex. a police patrol. The patrol was changed at midnight.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a small group of soldiers, ships, or airplanes, sent to find out all they can about the enemy, to engage in a raid, or to warn and protect the main body. <DD><B> 4. </B>a unit of boy scouts or girl scouts. noun <B>patroller.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="patrolcar">
<B>patrol car,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an automobile used by policemen to patrol an area. </DL>
<A NAME="patrolman">
<B>patrolman, </B>noun, pl. <B>-men.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a man who patrols. <DD><B> 2. </B>a policeman who patrols a certain district. </DL>
<A NAME="patrologic">
<B>patrologic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> belonging to patrology. </DL>
<B>patrologist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person skilled in patrology. </DL>
<A NAME="patrology">
<B>patrology, </B>noun, pl. <B>-gies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>the study of the writings of the fathers of the Christian Church; patristics. <DD><B> b. </B>a treatise on these writings. <DD><B> 2. </B>a collection of the writings of the fathers and other early ecclesiastical writers. </DL>
<A NAME="patrolwagon">
<B>patrol wagon,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a closed wagon or truck used by the police for carrying prisoners. <DD><B> 2. </B>a light vehicle used by an underwriters' group in reaching fires in order to protect insured goods. </DL>
<A NAME="patron">
<B>patron</B> (1), noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a person who buys regularly at a given store or goes regularly to a certain hotel or restaurant. <BR> <I>Ex. The enormous demand for military boots was rendering it ... difficult for him to give to old patrons that ... attention which he would desire to give (Arnold Bennett).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who gives his approval and support to some person, art, cause, or undertaking. <BR> <I>Ex. a patron of artists; a renowned patron of learning (Jonathan Swift). Books ... ought to have no patrons but truth and reason (Francis Bacon).</I> (SYN) sponsor, benefactor. <DD><B> 3. </B>a guardian saint; patron saint. <BR> <I>Ex. St. Crispin, the patron of shoemakers.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(in ancient Rome) an influential man who took certain persons under his protection, or a master who had freed a slave but retained some claims upon him. <DD><B> 5. </B>a person who holds the right to present a clergyman to a benefice. <DD><B> 6. </B>(Obsolete.) a founder of a religious order. <DD><I>adj. </I> guarding; protecting. <BR> <I>Ex. a patron saint.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="patron">
<B>patron</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) a proprietor. </DL>
<A NAME="patronage">
<B>patronage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>regular business given to a store, hotel, or restaurant by customers. <BR> <I>Ex. to give one's patronage to a local store.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>favor, encouragement, or support given by a patron. <BR> <I>Ex. Aided by their patronage and his own abilities, he had arrived at distinguished posts (John L. Motley).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>condescending favor. <BR> <I>Ex. an air of patronage.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>the power to give jobs or favors, especially by naming people to hold government jobs and by awarding business contracts. <BR> <I>Ex. the patronage of a governor, mayor, or congressman.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>political jobs or favors. <DD><B> 6. </B>the right of presentation to an ecclesiastical benefice; advowson. </DL>
<A NAME="patronal">
<B>patronal, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> acting the part of a patron; protecting; favoring. </DL>
<A NAME="patroness">
<B>patroness, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a woman patron. </DL>
<B>patronite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one of the chief ores of vanadium, containing sulfur also. </DL>
<A NAME="patronize">
<B>patronize, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ized,</B> <B>-izing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to be a regular customer of; give regular business to. <BR> <I>Ex. We patronize our neighborhood stores.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to act as a patron toward; support or protect. <BR> <I>Ex. to patronize the ballet.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to treat in a condescending way. <BR> <I>Ex. We dislike to have anyone patronize us.</I> noun <B>patronization.</B> noun <B>patronizer.</B> adv. <B>patronizingly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="patronne">
<B>patronne, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) a proprietress. </DL>
<A NAME="patronsaint">
<B>patron saint,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a saint regarded as the special guardian, as of a person, church, city, nation, or trade. <BR> <I>Ex. St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative:) <BR> <I>Ex. The late John Maynard Keynes ... is the patron saint of many of the Administration's economists (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="patronym">
<B>patronym, </B>noun. <B>=patronymic.</B></DL>
<A NAME="patronymic">
<B>patronymic, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a name derived from the name of a father or paternal ancestor, especially by the addition of a prefix or suffix. <BR> <I>Ex. Williamson meaning "son of William," and MacDonald meaning "descendant of Donald" are patronymics.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>(of a family name) derived from the name of a father or ancestor. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with a suffix or prefix showing such derivation. </DL>
<A NAME="patroon">
<B>patroon</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a landowner who had certain privileges under the former Dutch governments of New York and New Jersey. A patroon usually owned a large amount of land. </DL>
<B>patroonship, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the position of a patroon. <DD><B> 2. </B>the position of a patroon. <DD><B> 3. </B>the land granted a patroon. </DL>
<A NAME="patsy">
<B>patsy, </B>noun, pl. <B>-sies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) <DD><B> 1. </B>an easy mark; victim. <BR> <I>Ex. The Cards stopped being the patsies of the league and zoomed to the championship (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a person to be given the blame for what someone else has done; fall guy. <BR> <I>Ex. O'Malley had already picked out his patsy (Time).</I> (SYN) scapegoat. </DL>
<A NAME="pattee">
<B>pattee</B> or <B>patte, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Heraldry.) (of a cross) having nearly triangular arms that narrow where they meet and widen toward the extremities. Also, <B>paty.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="patten">
<B>patten, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a wooden overshoe with a thick sole; clog. <DD><B> 2. </B>wooden sandal or overshoe mounted on an iron ring, to raise the foot above wet ground. </DL>
<A NAME="pattened">
<B>pattened, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> wearing pattens. <BR> <I>Ex. some pattened girl stopped to courtesy (Jane Austen).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="patter">
<B>patter</B> (1), verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to make rapid taps. <BR> <I>Ex. The rain patters on a windowpane. Bare feet pattered along the hard floor.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to move with a rapid tapping sound. <BR> <I>Ex. to patter across the room.</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> to make rapid taps on or against; fall on with a rapid tapping. <BR> <I>Ex. The trees would patter me all over with big drops from the rain of the afternoon (Robert Louis Stevenson).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> a series of quick taps or the sound they make. <BR> <I>Ex. the patter of sleet, the patter of little feet.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="patter">
<B>patter</B> (2), noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>rapid and easy talk. <BR> <I>Ex. a magician's patter, a salesman's patter.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the special vocabulary of a class or group. <BR> <I>Ex. I have more respect for conjurer's patter than for doctor's patter. They are both meant to stupefy (G. K. Chesterton).</I> (SYN) jargon, lingo. <DD><B> 3. </B>rapid speech, usually for comic effect, introduced into a new song. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to talk rapidly, fluently, or glibly. <BR> <I>Ex. We take the name of God in vain when we patter through prayers in our worship (London Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Slang.) to speak or talk some jargon. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to talk or say rapidly and easily, without much thought. <BR> <I>Ex. to patter a prayer.</I> noun <B>patterer.</B> </DL>
