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pat

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pat¹

  • /pæt/
  • [pʰæt]
  • [pʰæt̚]
  • [pʰæˀt̚]

Sounds like patte · Rhymes with -æt

Where it comes from

From Middle English pat (“a blow, stroke”), alteration (with loss of medial l) of *plat (> Scots plat (“a blow, buffet”)), from Old English plætt (“a sounding blow, a smack”), from Proto-West Germanic *platt (“a smack, slap, blow”), from Proto-Germanic *plat- (“to strike, beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *blod-, *bled- (“to strike, beat”). Cognate with Middle Dutch plat (“a smack, blow, slap”), Middle Low German plat (“a smack, blow, beating”), Middle High German plaz, blaz (“a resounding blow, bang, crash”). For loss of l, compare patch for platch; pate for plate, etc. See plat.

noun pats

  1. The sound of a light slap or tap with a soft flat object, especially of a footstep. We heard a pat on the door.
  2. A light tap or slap, especially with the hands. Give Mary a pat on the shoulder to get her attention.
  3. A flattish lump of soft matter, especially butter or dung. It looked like a tessellated work of pats of butter.

pat²

  • /pæt/
  • [pʰæt]
  • [pʰæt̚]
  • [pʰæˀt̚]

Sounds like patte · Rhymes with -æt

Where it comes from

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-West Germanic *plattjan, 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.

verb pats · patting · patted · pat

  1. To (gently) tap the flat of one's hand on a person or thing. To show affection, he decided he would pat the boy on the head.
  2. To hit lightly and repeatedly with the flat of the hand to make smooth or flat I patted the cookie dough into shape.
  3. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, UK To stroke or fondle (an animal). Compare pet. Do you want to pat the cat?
  4. To gently rain.

adjective more pat · most pat

  1. Exactly suitable, fitting, apt; timely, convenient, opportune, ready for the occasion; especially of things spoken. a pat expression
  2. Trite, being superficially complete, lacking originality. While most AIDS activists and researchers I spoke with agreed I shouldn't offer pat safe/unsafe categories, let me share some pretty widely accepted information.

    Similar: banal, bathetic, bromidic, cheesy, stock, clichéd, commonplace, corny, dog-eared, hackneyed, hoary, overdone

adverb more pat · most pat

  1. Opportunely, in a timely or suitable way. Now might I do it pat
  2. Perfectly. He has the routine down pat.
  3. Straight, right, exactly, precisely. Wauwa Pease says of the strategic position of the Pirates in the dining room: “They have taken the table near the upper doorway so they can make a speedy exit in case their lair is raided.” Of course, the Wauwas stand pat in the middle of the dining room, having nothing to fear.

pat³

  • /pæt/
  • [pʰæt]
  • [pʰæt̚]
  • [pʰæˀt̚]

Sounds like patte · Rhymes with -æt

noun pats

  1. abbreviation, clipping Clipping of patent
  2. abbreviation, clipping Clipping of pattern Work in pat to next underarm marker, sm, place next st on holder[…]

pat⁴

  • /pæt/
  • [pʰæt]
  • [pʰæt̚]
  • [pʰæˀt̚]

Sounds like patte · Rhymes with -æt

Where it comes from

Clipping of patrician.

adjective more pat · most pat

  1. slang Upper-class, nobby.

Pat⁵

  • /pæt/

Sounds like pat · Rhymes with -æt

proper noun Pats

  1. A diminutive of the female given name Patricia.
  2. A diminutive of the male given name Patrick. One Nation, a new 501(c)4 linked to the Karl-Rove-backed American Crossroads super PAC, is spending more than $1.9 million on print, radio and digital ads highlighting the efforts of Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and

noun Pats

  1. offensive, possibly, slang An Irish person. I'll do it, sir, by the honor of the Pats, just take your two good looking selves into the garden, […]

    Similar: Paddy

Pat⁶

Where it comes from

Various origins:

* Borrowed from Yucatec Maya Pat. This surname is mostly found in Yucatán.

* Borrowed from Khmer.

proper noun Pats

  1. A surname from Khmer or Yucatec Maya.

PAT⁷

noun PATs

  1. abbreviation, countable, initialism, uncountable Initialism of point after touchdown (“extra point”).
  2. abbreviation, countable, initialism, uncountable Initialism of provincial achievement test
  3. Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, abbreviation, countable Initialism of portable appliance testing
  4. abbreviation, countable, initialism, uncountable Initialism of port address translation
  5. abbreviation, countable, initialism, uncountable Initialism of protocol associated type Protocols are abstract as they are, but with PATs, you’re making your protocols generic, which makes your code even more abstract and exponentially complex.
  6. abbreviation, countable, initialism, uncountable Initialism of personal access token
  7. abbreviation, countable, initialism, uncountable Initialism of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia
  8. US, abbreviation, countable, initialism, uncountable Initialism of priority air traffic

proper noun

  1. Quebec, abbreviation Abbreviation of Pointe-aux-Trembles: a municipality of Quebec, Canada.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: rap, dab, slick, glib, tap, appropriate, plausible, chuck, slap, banging, dollop, fondle, caress, deadlock, tape, butt

Translations

Every language

noun sound of a light slap or tap

Portuguêsbatidinha, estalo
DeutschTapser
Русскийпохло́пывание poxlópyvanije

noun light tap or slap

Españolpalmada, palmazo, apapacho, apapuche, palmadita
Portuguêsbatidinha, tapinha
Françaistape
DeutschKlaps

noun flattish lump of soft matter

Françaismotte, bouse
DeutschFlatschen, Fladen, Flädchen, Portion
Italianopanetto

verb to tap gently

Españoldar una palmadita, acariciar, apapachar, apapuchar, palmear
日本語撫でる naderu, 摩する sasuru
中文拍 pāi
Portuguêsdar um tapinha
Françaistapoter
Deutschtippen, tätscheln
Русскийпохло́пывать poxlópyvatʹ, хло́пать xlópatʹ, похло́пать poxlópatʹ

verb to hit to make smooth or flat

Deutschsanft flachklopfen

adj exactly suitable

Françaisad-hoc

adj trite

Françaisbateau, banal

name Pointe-aux-Trembles

FrançaisPAT

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"pat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pat. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

pat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pat

Chicago

"pat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pat.

BibTeX
@misc{pat_2026,
  title = {pat},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pat},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}