patient - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

pa·tient

Audio Help [pey-shuh

nt] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	a person who is under medical care or treatment.

2.	a person or thing that undergoes some action.

3.	Archaic. a sufferer or victim.

–adjective

4.	bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like.

5.	characterized by or expressing such a quality: a patient smile.

6.	quietly and steadily persevering or diligent, esp. in detail or exactness: a patient worker.

7.	undergoing the action of another (opposed to agent).

—Idiom

patient of,

a.	having or showing the capacity for endurance: a man patient of distractions.

b.	susceptible of: This statement is patient of criticism.

[Origin: 1275–1325; ME pacient (adj. and n.) < MF < L patient- (s. of patiéns), prp. of patī to undergo, suffer, bear; see -ent

]

—Related forms

pa·tient·less, adjective

pa·tient·ly, adverb

pa·tient·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. invalid. 4. uncomplaining, long-suffering, forbearing, resigned, passive, calm. 5. quiet, serene, unruffled, unexcited, self-possessed, composed. 6. sedulous, assiduous, untiring.

—Antonyms 4. hostile. 5. impatient, agitated.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
patient

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

pa·tient Audio Help (pā'shənt) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Bearing or enduring pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance with calmness.
Marked by or exhibiting calm endurance of pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance.
Tolerant; understanding: an unfailingly patient leader and guide.
Persevering; constant: With patient industry, she revived the failing business and made it thrive.
Capable of calmly awaiting an outcome or result; not hasty or impulsive.
Capable of bearing or enduring pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance: "My uncle Toby was a man patient of injuries" (Laurence Sterne).

One who receives medical attention, care, or treatment.
Linguistics A noun or noun phrase identifying one that is acted upon or undergoes an action. Also called goal.
Archaic One who suffers.

[Middle English pacient, from Old French, from Latin patiēns, patient-, present participle of patī, to endure; see pē(i)- in Indo-European roots.]

pa'tient·ly adv.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
patient (adj.)

c.1320, "bearing or enduring without complaint," from L. patientem (see patience). Noun sense of "suffering or sick person" is from 1393, from O.Fr. pacient (n.), from the adj., from L. patientem.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

patient
adjective
1.	enduring trying circumstances with even temper or characterized by such endurance; "a patient smile"; "was patient with the children"; "an exact and patient scientist"; "please be patient" [ant: impatient]
noun
1.	a person who requires medical care; "the number of emergency patients has grown rapidly"
2.	the semantic role of an entity that is not the agent but is directly involved in or affected by the happening denoted by the verb in the clause [syn: affected role]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
patient [ˈpeiʃənt] adjective

suffering delay, pain, irritation etc quietly and without complaining
Example: It will be your turn soon — you must just be patient!

Arabic:	صَبور
Chinese (Simplified):	有耐心的
Chinese (Traditional):	有耐心的
Czech:	trpělivý
Danish:	tålmodig
Dutch:	geduldig
Estonian:	kannatlik
Finnish:	kärsivällinen
French:	patient
Greek:	υπομονετικός
Hungarian:	türelmes
Icelandic:	þolinmóður
Indonesian:	sabar
Italian:	paziente
Japanese:	我慢強い

Korean:	인내심이 있는
Latvian:	pacietīgs
Lithuanian:	kantrus
Norwegian:	tålmodig
Polish:	cierpliwy
Portuguese (Brazil):	paciente
Portuguese (Portugal):	paciente
Romanian:	răbdător
Russian:	терпеливый
Slovak:	trpezlivý
Slovenian:	potrpežljiv
Spanish:	paciente, sufrido
Swedish:	tålig, tålmodig
Turkish:	sabırlı

patient [ˈpeiʃənt] noun

a person who is being treated by a doctor, dentist etc
Example: The hospital had too many patients.

Arabic:	إنْسان صَبور
Chinese (Simplified):	病人
Chinese (Traditional):	病人
Czech:	pacient, -ka
Danish:	patient
Dutch:	patiá‰ánt
Estonian:	patsient
Finnish:	potilas
French:	patient
German:	der, *die Patient(in)
Greek:	ασθενής, νοσηλευόμενος
Hungarian:	beteg
Icelandic:	sjúklingur
Indonesian:	pasien
Italian:	paziente

Japanese:	患者
Korean:	환자
Latvian:	pacients
Lithuanian:	pacientas
Norwegian:	pasient
Polish:	pacjent
Portuguese (Brazil):	paciente
Portuguese (Portugal):	doente
Romanian:	pacient
Russian:	пациент
Slovak:	pacient, -ka
Slovenian:	bolnik
Spanish:	paciente
Swedish:	patient
Turkish:	hasta

See also: patience

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

patient

A"gent\, a. [L. agens, agentis, p. pr. of agere to act; akin to Gr. ? to lead, Icel. aka to drive, Skr. aj. [root]2.] Acting; -- opposed to patient, or sustaining, action. [Archaic] "The body agent." --Bacon.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Patient

Com*pas"sion\, n. [F., fr. L. compassio, fr. compati to have compassion; com- + pati to bear, suffer. See Patient.] Literally, suffering with another; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration.

Womanly ingenuity set to work by womanly compassion. --Macaulay.

Syn: Pity; sympathy; commiseration; fellow-feeling; mercy; condolence. See Pity.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Patient

Im*pa"tient\, a. [OE. impacient, F. impatient, fr. L. impatiens; pref. im- not + patiens patient. See Patient.]

1. Not patient; not bearing with composure; intolerant; uneasy; fretful; restless, because of pain, delay, or opposition; eager for change, or for something expected; hasty; passionate; -- often followed by at, for, of, and under.

A violent, sudden, and impatient necessity. --Jer. Taylor.

Fame, impatient of extremes, decays Not more by envy than excess of praise. --Pope.

The impatient man will not give himself time to be informed of the matter that lies before him. --Addison.

Dryden was poor and impatient of poverty. --Macaulay.

2. Not to be borne; unendurable. [Obs.] --Spenser.

3. Prompted by, or exhibiting, impatience; as, impatient speeches or replies. --Shak.

Syn: Restless; uneasy; changeable; hot; eager; fretful; intolerant; passionate.

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