patch

¹

[ pach ]

noun

1. a small piece of material used to mend a tear or break, to cover a hole, or to strengthen a weak place:

   patches at the elbows of a sports jacket.

2. a piece of material used to cover or protect a wound, an injured part, etc.:

   a patch over the eye.

3. Also called skin patch,. an adhesive patch that applies to the skin and gradually delivers drugs or medication to the user:

   using a nicotine patch to try to quit smoking.

4. any of the pieces of cloth sewed together to form patchwork.
5. a small piece, scrap, or area of anything:

   a patch of ice on the road.

6. a piece or tract of land; plot.
7. a small field, plot, or garden, especially one in which a specific type of plant grows or is cultivated: a bean patch.

   a cabbage patch;

   a bean patch.

8. beauty spot ( def 1 ).
9. Military. a cloth emblem worn on the upper uniform sleeve to identify the military unit of the wearer.
10. a small organizational or affiliational emblem of cloth sewn to one's jacket, shirt, cap, etc.
11. a connection or hookup, as between radio circuits or telephone lines:

    The patch allowed shut-ins to hear the game by telephone.

12. a period of time characterized by some quality:

    he was going through a rough patch.

13. Computers. a small piece of code designed to be inserted into an executable program in order to fix errors in or update the program or its supporting data.

verb (used with object)

1. to mend, cover, or strengthen with or as if with a patch or patches.

   Synonyms: fix

   Antonyms: break

2. to repair or restore, especially in a hasty or makeshift way (usually followed by up ).
3. to make by joining patches or pieces together:

   to patch a quilt.

4. to settle or smooth over (a quarrel, difference, etc.) (often followed by up ):

   They patched up their quarrel before the company arrived.

5. (especially in radio and telephone communications) to connect or hook up (circuits, programs, conversations, etc.) (often followed by through, into, etc.): Patch me through to the mainland.

   The radio show was patched through to the ship.

   Patch me through to the mainland.

6. to update (a software program) by downloading and installing a small piece of code in order to fix errors in or update a program or its supporting data:

   You may need to manually patch the game to the latest version.

verb (used without object)

1. to make a connection between radio circuits, telephone lines, etc. (often followed by in or into ):

   We patched into the ship-to-shore conversation.

patch

²

[ pach ]

noun

1. a clown, fool, or booby.

Patch

³

[ pach ]

noun

1. Alexander Mc·Car·rell [m, uh, -, kar, -, uh, l], 1889–1945, U.S. World War II general.

patch

/ pætʃ /

noun

1. 1. a piece of material used to mend a garment or to make patchwork, a sewn-on pocket, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      a patch pocket

2. a small piece, area, expanse, etc
3. 1. a small plot of land
   2. its produce

      a patch of cabbages

4. a district for which particular officials, such as social workers or policemen, have responsibility

   he's a problem that's on your patch, John

5. pathol any discoloured area on the skin, mucous membranes, etc, usually being one sign of a specific disorder
6. med
   1. a protective covering for an injured eye
   2. any protective dressing
7. an imitation beauty spot, esp one made of black or coloured silk, worn by both sexes, esp in the 18th century
8. Also calledflash an identifying piece of fabric worn on the shoulder of a uniform, on a vehicle, etc
9. a small contrasting section or stretch

   a patch of cloud in the blue sky

10. a scrap; remnant
11. computing a small set of instructions to correct or improve a computer program
12. informal.
    the insignia of a motorcycle club or gang
13. a bad patch
    a difficult or troubled time
14. not a patch on informal.
    not nearly as good as

verb

1. to mend or supply (a garment, etc) with a patch or patches
2. to put together or produce with patches
3. (of material) to serve as a patch to
4. often foll by up to mend hurriedly or in a makeshift way
5. often foll by up to make (up) or settle (a quarrel)
6. to connect (electric circuits) together temporarily by means of a patch board
7. usually foll by through to connect (a telephone call) by means of a patch board
8. computing to correct or improve (a program) by adding a small set of instructions

patch

/ păch /

1. A temporary, removable electronic connection, as one between two components in a communications system.
2. A piece of code added to software in order to fix a bug, especially as a temporary correction between two versions of the same software.

Derived Forms

• ˈpatchable, adjective
• ˈpatcher, noun

Other Words From

• patch·a·ble adjective
• patch·er noun
• patch·less adjective
• un·patched adjective
• well-patched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of patch¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pacche, patche, pachche; of uncertain origin; perhaps an alteration of Middle French pece, pieche, piece piece ( def )

Origin of patch²

First recorded in 1540–50; of uncertain origin; perhaps from southern Italian dialect paccio ( Italian pazzo) “fool”

Word History and Origins

Origin of patch¹

C16 pacche, perhaps from French pieche piece

Synonym Study

See mend.

Example Sentences

“Every little patch of dirt can be a wildlife habitat,” Tilford says.

From Los Angeles Times

She has a prescription of plus nine in one eye and has previously worn an eye patch to help save her sight in it.

From BBC

He has a gift for making older works, such as “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch” “and “A Soldier’s Play,” seem newly minted.

From Los Angeles Times

In 1990, he opened a small children’s amusement park on a remote patch of land just north of Seoul.

From Los Angeles Times

Isak scored 25 goals for the Magpies last season, but made a slower start to the new campaign and scored only once in his first seven appearances, before his current purple patch.

From BBC

Related Words

• cobble
• rebuild
• reconstruct
• reinforce
• repair
• revamp
• sew