a written or printed instrument issued by a sovereign power, conferring upon a patentee some right, as the exclusive right to land or the exclusive right to make, use, and sell an invention for a limited time
Word origin
[1350–1400; ME]
Examples of 'letters patent' in a sentence
letters patent
The post was created by royal letters patent in 1361, although the title, which comes from the ebony staff of office, dates from 1522.