patch1 /pach/ noun- A piece put on or to be put on to mend a defect
- A dressing, esp a plaster for a cut or sore
- A pad for an injured eye
- A piece of adhesive material impregnated with a medicinal drug and put on the skin so that the drug can be gradually absorbed (medicine)
- A cloth badge sewn onto a garment
- A piece of ground or plot of land
- An area or district, etc regularly visited, patrolled or traded in, etc
- An overlay to obtain a stronger impression (printing)
- A small piece of black silk, etc, stuck by ladies on the face to bring out the complexion by contrast, common in the 17c and 18c
- A similar piece of fabric worn as a political party badge
- An imitation beauty spot
- A smallish area differing in colour or otherwise from its surroundings
- A period of time
- A scrap or fragment
- A scrap pieced together with others
- A group of instructions added to a computer program to correct a mistake (computing)
transitive verb- To mend with a patch
- To put a patch on
- To apply as a patch
- To join in patchwork
- To mend or construct hastily, clumsily, or temporarily (commonly with up or together)
- To resolve (an argument), settle (differences), sometimes only temporarily (usu with up)
- To construct as a patchwork
- To mark with patches
- To connect (a telephone call) using a patchboard (with through), to put through
ORIGIN: ME pacche; origin unknown; poss connected with piece patchˈable adjective patched adjective patchˈer noun patchˈily adverb patchˈing noun and adjective patchˈy adjective - Covered with patches
- Diversified in patches
- Inharmonious, incongruous, irregular
- Incomplete
patchˈboard noun (telecommunications, etc) A panel with multiple electric terminals into which wires may be plugged to form a variety of electric circuits patch box noun A fancy box for holding the patches worn on the face, generally having a mirror inside the lid patch pocket noun A simple pocket consisting of a piece of material sewn on all but one side onto the outside of a garment patch test noun A test for allergy in which allergenic substances are applied to areas of skin which are later examined for signs of irritation patch-upˈ noun A provisional repairing patchˈwork noun - Needlework formed of patches or pieces sewed together
- An incongruous combination
- Work patched up or clumsily executed
- A surface diversified in patches
patchwork quilt noun A bedcover which may or may not be quilted, one side of which is made up of patchwork hit or strike a bad patch To experience a difficult time, to encounter unfavourable conditions, etc not a patch on Not fit to be compared with patch2 /pach/ noun- A fool or jester (archaic)
- A stupid person (dialect)
- A bad-tempered or peevish person (dialect)
ORIGIN: Perh from patch1, from the patched coat; nickname of Cardinal Wolsey's fool, Sexton; perh Ital pazzo fool patchˈery noun (Shakespeare) Knavery patchˈcocke or patchˈocke noun (Spenser) Perh a clown (reading and meaning doubtful; cf paiock) |