patch
/pæt͡ʃ/
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.20 in modern English
Meaning
noun
A piece of cloth, or other suitable material, sewed or otherwise fixed upon a garment to repair or strengthen it, especially upon an old garment to cover a hole.
noun
A small piece of anything used to repair damage or a breach; as, a patch on a kettle, a roof, etc.
noun
A piece of any size, used to repair something for a temporary period only, or that it is temporary because it is not meant to last long or will be removed as soon as a proper repair can be made, which will happen in the near future.
noun
A small, usually contrasting but always somehow different or distinct, part of something else (location, time, size)
noun
A small area, a small plot of land or piece of ground.
noun
noun
A small piece of black silk stuck on the face or neck to heighten beauty by contrast, worn by ladies in the 17th and 18th centuries; an imitation beauty mark.
noun
Example Sentences
- "His sleeves had patches on the elbows where different fabric had been sewn on to replace material that had worn away."
- "I can't afford to replace the roof, which is what it really needs. I'll have the roofer apply a patch."
- "Before you can fix a dam, you have to apply a patch to the hole so that everything can dry off."
- ""This patch should hold until you reach the city," the mechanic said as he patted the car's hood."
- "The world economy had a rough patch in the 1930s."
- "To me, a normal cow is white with black patches, but Sarah's from Texas and most of the cows there have solid brown, black, or red coats."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: pacche, *plæċċ, *plakkju, *plakjō, pieche, pazzo