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patency

[ peyt-n-see, pat- ]

noun

  1. the state of being patent.
  2. Medicine/Medical. the condition of not being blocked or obstructed.
  3. Phonetics. openness of articulation, found more or less in all phonemes except stops.


patency

/ ˈpeɪtənsɪ /

noun

  1. the condition of being obvious
  2. the state of a bodily passage, duct, etc, of being open or unobstructed
  3. phonetics the degree to which the vocal tract remains unobstructed in the articulation of a speech sound See also closure
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of patency1

First recorded in 1650–60; pat(ent) + -ency
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Example Sentences

It is clear that they thus secured patency of the air-passages after these had become occluded.

Probably we dislike the ape because of the very patency of his human affinities.

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patenPatenier