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Definition of patina - 5 dictionary results

pat⋅i⋅na

[pat-n-uh, puh-tee-nuh]
–noun
1. a film or incrustation, usually green, produced by oxidation on the surface of old bronze and often esteemed as being of ornamental value.
2. a similar film or coloring appearing gradually on some other substance.
3. a surface calcification of implements, usu. indicating great age.
Also, patine [puh-teen] .


Origin:
1740–50; < It: coating < L: pan. See paten
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pat·en also pat·in   (pāt'n)   
n.  
  1. A plate, usually of gold or silver, that is used to hold the host during the celebration of the Eucharist. Also called patina1.

  2. A plate or shallow dish, especially an artifact from an ancient civilization.

  3. A thin disk of or resembling metal.


[Middle English, from Old French patene, from Medieval Latin patina, from Latin, pan, from Greek patanē, platter; see petə- in Indo-European roots.]
pat·i·na 1   (pāt'n-ə)   
n.   pl. pat·i·nae (pāt'n-ē)
See paten.

[Medieval Latin, from Latin, plate; see paten.]
pat·i·na 2   (pāt'n-ə, pə-tē'nə)   
n.  
  1. A thin greenish layer, usually basic copper sulfate, that forms on copper or copper alloys, such as bronze, as a result of corrosion.

  2. The sheen on any surface, produced by age and use.

  3. A change in appearance produced by long-standing behavior, practice, or use: a face etched with a patina of fine lines and tiny wrinkles.


[Italian, from Latin, plate (from the incrustation on ancient metal plates and dishes); see paten.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

patina 
"greenish film on old bronze," 1748, from Fr. patine (18c.), from It. patina, perhaps from L. patina "dish, pan," on the notion of encrustation on ancient bronze dishes. Sense of "refinement, cultural sophistication" first recorded 1933.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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