pat

See also Pat, pAt, PAT, päť, and рат

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pæt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æt

Etymology 1

Originally probably imitative.

Noun

pat (plural pats)

1. The sound of a light slap or tap with a soft flat object, especially of a footstep
2. A light tap or slap, especially with the hands
3. A flattish lump of soft matter, especially butter or dung.

Translations

sound of a light slap or tap

Finnish: taputus (fi)

light tap or slap

Finnish: taputus (fi)

Swedish: klapp (sv) c.

flattish lump of soft matter

Finnish: nokare (fi)

French: of butter motte (fr) f., of dung bouse (fr) f.

Verb

pat (third-person singular simple present pats, present participle patting, simple past and past participle patted)

1. To (gently) tap the flat of one's hand on a person or thing.

   To show affection, he decided he would pat the boy on the head.

2. To hit lightly and repeatedly with the flat of the hand to make smooth or flat

   I patted the cookie dough into shape.

   • 1900, L. Frank Baum , The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Chapter 23

     Before they went to see Glinda, however, they were taken to a room of the Castle, where Dorothy washed her face and combed her hair, and the Lion shook the dust out of his mane, and the Scarecrow patted himself into his best shape, and the Woodman polished his tin and oiled his joints.

3. To gently rain.

Translations

to tap gently

Finnish: taputtaa (fi) Scottish Gaelic: slìog (gd)

Swedish: klappa (sv)

to hit to make smooth or flat

Finnish: taputtaa (fi), taputella (fi)

to gently rain

Finnish: lopottaa (fi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

French: tapoter (fr)

German: tätscheln (de) Telugu: తట్టు (te) (taTTu)

Adjective

pat (not comparable)

1. trite, being superficially complete, lacking originality

   Your manager is not going to be satisfied with your pat ideas for the new project.

   • 2010, New York Times, Editorial: Jobs and the Class of 2010, May 23.

     The pat answer is that college students should consider graduate school as a way to delay a job search until things turn around, and that more high school students should go to college to improve their prospects.

2. timely and suitable

Adverb

pat (comparative more pat, superlative most pat)

1. (obsolete) opportunely, in a timely or suitable way.
   • c. 1600, William Shakespeare, Hamlet III.iii

     Now might I do it pat

2. Perfectly.

   He has the routine down pat.

Translations

opportunely

Finnish: sopivasti, sattuvasti, oikein (fi)

See also

strike hit

feel name

Etymology 2

Abbreviation.

Noun

pat (plural pats)

1. patent

Anagrams

• APT, ap't, apt, apt., ATP, PTA, TAP, tap

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Czech

Noun

pat m.

1. stalemate (chess)

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French

Noun

pat m. (plural pats)

1. stalemate (chess)

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Indonesian

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic.

Noun

pat (a shorter form of empat)

1. four

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Min Nan

simplified	捌 or 八
traditional	捌 or 八

Alternative forms

• bat to know somebody

Pronunciation

• IPA: [ pat˩˩ ]

Noun

pat (POJ, traditional and simplified 捌 or 八)

1. eight

Usage notes

• peh/poeh is used when referring to amounts, whereas pat is used for years and telephone numbers, bank account numbers etc.

Verb

pat (POJ, traditional and simplified 捌 or 八)

1. to know somebody; to recognize
2. to be familiar with

Synonyms

• trad. 認識, simpl. 认识 rènshi to know somebody

References

• 2000, 台灣話大詞典　(Tâi-ôan-ōe tōa-sû-tián), ISBN 9573240785:

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Polish

Wikipedia ^pl

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

pat m.

1. stalemate

Declension

    declension of pat

	singular	plural
nominative	pat	paty
genitive	patu	patów
dative	patowi	patom
accusative	pat	paty
instrumental	patem	patami
locative	pacie	patach
vocative	pacie	paty

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Romanian

Etymology

Often thought to be from Greek πάτος (“path”), but also possibly from Latin pactum ("fastened, fixed, planted"), with the loss of the p in the normal result, *papt.

Noun

pat n. (plural paturi)

1. bed

Declension

declension of pat

	singular		plural
gender n.	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	un pat	patul	niște paturi	paturile
genitive/dative	unui pat	patului	unor paturi	paturilor

Related terms

• pătură

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Slovak

Noun

pat m., paty pl.

pat stem

patu gensg

1. a stalemate in a game of chess

Derived terms

• patový -á -é

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Volapük

Etymology

French particularité

Noun

pat

1. particularity

Declension

declension of pat

	singular	plural
nominative	pat	pats
genitive	pata	patas
dative	pate	pates
accusative	pati	patis
predicative	patu	patus
vocative	o pat!	o pats!