patient

Meaning

Adj

1. Willing to wait if necessary; not losing one's temper while waiting.
2. Constant in pursuit or exertion; persevering; calmly diligent.
3. (obsolete) Physically able to suffer or bear.

Noun

1. A person or animal who receives treatment from a doctor or other medically educated person.
2. The noun or noun phrase that is semantically on the receiving end of a verb's action.
3. One who, or that which, is passively affected; a passive recipient.

Hyphenated as

pa‧tient

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpeɪʃənt/

Etymology

From Middle English pacient, from Middle French patient, from Old French pacient, from Latin patiens, present participle of patior (“to suffer, endure”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hate, hurt”).