pattern

[ pat-ern; British pat-n ]

noun

1. a decorative design, as for wallpaper, china, or textile fabrics, etc.

   Synonyms: figure

2. decoration or ornament having such a design.
3. a natural or chance marking, configuration, or design:

   patterns of frost on the window.

4. a distinctive style, model, or form:

   a new pattern of army helmet.

   Synonyms: sort, kind

5. a combination of qualities, acts, tendencies, etc., forming a consistent or characteristic arrangement:

   the behavior patterns of teenagers.

6. an original or model considered for or deserving of imitation:

   Our constitution has been a pattern for those of many new republics.

   Synonyms: exemplar, example

7. anything fashioned or designed to serve as a model or guide for something to be made:

   a paper pattern for a dress.

8. a sufficient quantity of material for making a garment.
9. the path of flight established for an aircraft approaching an airport at which it is to land.
10. a diagram of lines transmitted occasionally by a television station to aid in adjusting receiving sets; test pattern.
11. Metallurgy. a model or form, usually of wood or metal, used for giving the shape of the interior of a mold.
12. Numismatics. a coin, either the redesign of an existing piece or the model for a new one, submitted for authorization as a regular issue.
13. an example, instance, sample, or specimen.
14. Gunnery, Aerial Bombing.
    1. the distribution of strikes around a target at which artillery rounds have been fired or on which bombs have been dropped.
    2. a diagram showing such distribution.

verb (used with object)

1. to make or fashion after or according to a pattern.
2. to cover or mark with a pattern.
3. Chiefly British Dialect.
   1. to imitate.
   2. to attempt to match or duplicate.

verb (used without object)

1. to make or fall into a pattern.

pattern

¹

/ ˈpætən /

noun

1. an arrangement of repeated or corresponding parts, decorative motifs, etc

   although the notes seemed random, a careful listener could detect a pattern

2. a decorative design

   a paisley pattern

3. a style

   various patterns of cutlery

4. a plan or diagram used as a guide in making something

   a paper pattern for a dress

5. a standard way of moving, acting, etc

   traffic patterns

6. a model worthy of imitation

   a pattern of kindness

7. a representative sample
8. a wooden or metal shape or model used in a foundry to make a mould
9. 1. the arrangement of marks made in a target by bullets
   2. a diagram displaying such an arrangement

verb

1. often foll byafter or on to model
2. to arrange as or decorate with a pattern

pattern

²

/ ˈpætərn /

noun

1. an outdoor assembly with religious practices, traders' stalls, etc on the feast day of a patron saint

Other Word Forms

• pattern·a·ble adjective
• patterned adjective
• pattern·er noun
• pattern·less adjective
• pattern·like adjective
• pattern·y adjective
• non·patterned adjective
• re·pattern verb (used with object)
• semi·patterned adjective
• sub·pattern noun
• un·patterned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pattern¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English patron, from Medieval Latin patrōnus “model,” special use of Latin patrōnus “legal protector, advocate”; patron

Word History and Origins

Origin of pattern¹

C14 patron, from Medieval Latin patrōnus example, from Latin: patron ¹

Origin of pattern²

C18: variant of patron ¹; see pattern ¹

Example Sentences

The apocalyptic imagination, he argued, imposes on history “neat, naïve patterns” presaging a turning point in the grand scheme of humanity.

From Los Angeles Times

In fact some parts of southern and eastern England had no measurable rain for over three weeks because of what we call a blocked weather pattern.

From BBC

Exposure to constant bright light causes pigeons to lose their regular locomotor and feeding patterns, and goldfish that are normally active in daytime likewise lose their own consistent patterns of activity and rest.

From Salon

The Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland explosively erupted on14 April sending a huge ash cloud into the atmosphere and the weather pattern directed it towards Europe.

From BBC

Some see a pattern in Trump's designs on Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal – one that reflects a dramatic change in how the US sees itself in the world.

From BBC