letters patent

Meaning

A type of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority to direct that some action be taken; to grant a monopoly, right, status, or title to a person or organization; to record a contract.

letter patent

Rare form of letters patent (“a type of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority granting a monopoly, right, status, or title to a person or organization”).

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Opposite of

letters close

Synonyms

patent

authorisation

authorization

mandate

power of attorney

proxy

Translations

براءة

patent

brevet

lettres patentes

lettre patente

patente

lettera patente

litterae patentēs

carta-patente

patente

cédula de privilegio

patente de privilegio

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌlɛtəz ˈpeɪtənt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: lettres patentes

In summary

From letters patents (archaic), from Late Middle English lettres patentes, lettres patent (“document or documents granting a privilege, power, or right, making an appointment or decree, etc.”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman lettres patentes (the plural of lettre patente), from Latin litterae patentēs, the plural of littera patēns (so called because they were written on open sheets of parchment), from littera (“letter”) + patēns (“accessible, open”) (the present active participle of pateō (“to be accessible or open; to be clear or evident”), from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread out; to fly”)). The English term is analysable as letters + patent (“open, unconcealed; (archaic) open to public perusal”).