pa·tient 
(pāshənt)
(pāshənt)adj.
1. Bearing or enduring pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance with calmness.
2. Marked by or exhibiting calm endurance of pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance.
3. Tolerant; understanding: an unfailingly patient leader and guide.
4. Persevering; constant: With patient industry, she revived the failing business and made it thrive.
5. Capable of calmly awaiting an outcome or result; not hasty or impulsive.
6. Capable of bearing or enduring pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance: "My uncle Toby was a man patient of injuries" (Laurence Sterne).
n.
1. One who receives medical attention, care, or treatment.
2. Linguistics A noun or noun phrase identifying one that is acted upon or undergoes an action. Also called goal.
3. Obsolete One who suffers.
[Middle English pacient, from Old French, from Latin patiēns, patient-, present participle of patī, to endure; see pē(i)- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
patient·ly adv.