pat

Meaning

Noun

1. The sound of a light slap or tap with a soft flat object, especially of a footstep.
2. A light tap or slap, especially with the hands.
3. A flattish lump of soft matter, especially butter or dung.

Verb

1. To (gently) tap the flat of one's hand on a person or thing.
2. To hit lightly and repeatedly with the flat of the hand to make smooth or flat
3. (Australia, New-Zealand, South-Africa, UK) To stroke or fondle (an animal). Compare pet.
4. To gently rain.

Adj

1. Exactly suitable, fitting, apt; timely, convenient, opportune, ready for the occasion; especially of things spoken.
2. Trite, being superficially complete, lacking originality.

Adv

1. Opportunely, in a timely or suitable way.
2. Perfectly.
3. Straight, right, exactly, precisely.

Adj

Upper-class, nobby.

Synonyms

tap

stroke

clap

👏

slap

dab

chuck

rub

touch

appropriate

hit

apt

suitable

fondle

pet

rap

perfectly

fitting

glib

caress

strike

grope

console

feel

stoke

smack

spank

slick

nudge

meet

beat

patent

comfort

finger

burrito

🌯

bale

build

bud

baby

👶

all right

broccoli

🥦

boom

💥

ashes

boo

eligible

blonde

aptly

airplane

✈️

exactly

able

ditch

Translations

acariciar

tapoter

taper

tikken

caresser

tätscheln

buffetto

palmadita

batidinha

tapinha

basmakalıp

copet

robinet

dare un buffetto

fiske

Pronounced as (IPA)

/pæt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: *patten

Cognate with Middle Dutch: platten

Cognate with German: platzen

Cognate with Bavarian: patzen

Cognate with Swedish: plätta

In summary

From Middle English *patten, alteration (with loss of medial l) of platten, pletten (“to pat”), from Old English plættan (“to buffet, strike, slap, smack, give a sounding blow”), from Proto-Germanic *plat- (“to strike, beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *blod-, *bled- (“to strike, beat”). Cognate with Middle Dutch platten, pletten (“to strike, bruise, crush, rub”), German platzen (“to split, burst, break up”), Bavarian patzen (“to pat”), Swedish plätta, pjätta (“to pat, tap”). For loss of l, compare patch for platch; pate for plate, etc. See plat.