Word
patch
US/ˈpætʃ/
UK/pˈætʃ/
Definitions
01repair material
n. a small piece of material used to cover a hole or strengthen a weak part of something.
n. a piece of fabric or other material used to mend a hole or reinforce a structural weakness.
“He sewed a leather patch onto the elbows of his old jacket.”
“The sailor applied a temporary rubber patch to the hull to prevent further leaking until the boat reached the dry dock.”
Synonyms
02small area
n. a small area that is different from the space around it, like a piece of land.
n. a small, circumscribed area of a surface or land that differs in appearance or character from its surroundings.
“We found a sunny patch of grass in the park for our picnic.”
“The gardener spent the morning weeding the vegetable patch before the heat of the afternoon made outdoor work impossible.”
03software update
n. a small piece of computer code used to fix a bug or improve a program.
n. a set of changes to a computer program or its supporting data designed to update, fix, or improve it.
“You need to download the latest security patch to protect your computer.”
“The developers released an emergency patch overnight to address a critical vulnerability that allowed unauthorised access to the database.”
04medical cover or treatment
n. a piece of material worn on the skin to protect a wound or deliver medicine.
n. a protective covering for a wound or an adhesive medicated dressing that delivers a drug through the skin.
“He wore an eye patch for a week after his surgery.”
“The patient was prescribed a nicotine patch to help manage withdrawal symptoms during the first month of quitting smoking.”
05a difficult time
n. a short period of time that is difficult or unpleasant.
n. a brief, distinct period of time characterised by a particular quality, typically a negative one.
“The couple went through a rough patch last year but they are happy now.”
“The company hit a difficult patch during the recession, forcing the board to reconsider its expansion strategy for the following decade.”
Informal
06to fix a hole
v. to fix something by putting a piece of material over a hole.
v. to mend or strengthen by adding a piece of material; often used with 'up'.
“I need to patch these jeans before the hole gets any bigger.”
“The maintenance crew worked quickly to patch the roof before the forecasted storm arrived.”
07to resolve a problem
v. to fix a problem or a relationship, often in a quick or temporary way.
v. to settle a quarrel or repair a relationship; typically used in the phrasal verb 'patch up'.
“They managed to patch up their differences after a long talk.”
“The diplomats attempted to patch up the trade agreement, though both nations remained skeptical about the long-term viability of the compromise.”
Informal
08a fool
n. an old word for a person who is silly or not very smart.
n. a person considered to be a fool or a simpleton.
“The king grew angry at the patch who dared to mock his crown.”
“In the Shakespearean drama, the character is dismissed as a mere patch, though his observations often carry more weight than those of the nobles.”
Archaic
Real-World Examples
“With the technological abilities of modern cameras, including those on your phone, you can take good pictures of eclipses and other solar activity like sunspots, which look like dark patches on the Sun's surface.” “A new wearable patch may help people reach REM sleep faster and remain there longer without medication or surgery.” “What to be aware of: If you want a colour change with a spray or dye, do a patch test first to check you are not allergic.” “Some researchers say the warning signs are already visible: a strange patch of cooling in the North Atlantic and changes in how salty the water is.” Etymology
From Middle English patche, of uncertain origin. Perhaps an alteration of earlier Middle English placche (“patch, spot, piece of cloth”), from Old English plæċċ, pleċċ (“a spot, mark, patch”), from Proto-West Germanic plakkju, from Proto-Germanic plakjō (“spot, stain”). For the loss of l compare pat from Middle English platten. Germanic cognates would then include Middle English plecke, dialectal English pleck (“plot of ground, patch”), West Frisian plak (“place, spot”), Low German Plakk, Plakke (“spot, piece, patch”), Dutch plek (“spot, place, stain, patch”), Dutch plak (“piece, slab”), Swedish plagg (“garment”), Faroese plagg (“cloth, rag”). Or, possibly a variant of Old French pieche, dialectal variant of piece (“piece”). Compare also Old Occitan petaç (“patch”).
Perhaps borrowed from Italian pazzo or paggio; the form influenced by folk etymological association with patch (Etymology 1).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
patch up — To repair by adding a patch.
pea patch — A baseball field.
rough patch — A difficult or embattling period of one's life.
tear up the pea patch — To put on a notable performance, especially in sports; to go on a rampage.