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Definition of patness - 4 dictionary results

pat

2  [pat]
Use patness in a Sentence
–adjective
1. exactly to the point or purpose; apt; opportune: a pat solution to a problem.
2. excessively glib; unconvincingly facile: His answers were too pat to suit the examining board.
3. learned, known, or mastered perfectly or exactly: to have something pat.
–adverb
4. exactly or perfectly.
5. aptly; opportunely.
—Idioms
6. down pat. down 1 (def. 49).
7. stand pat,
a. to cling or hold firm to one's decision, policy, or beliefs: The government must stand pat in its policy.
b. Poker. to play a hand as dealt, without drawing other cards.
Origin:
1570–80; orig. adverbial use of pat 1 , as obs. to hit pat to strike accurately

Related forms:
patness, noun
patter, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To patness
pat 2   (pāt)   
adj.  

  1. Trite or glib; superficially complete or satisfactory: A pat answer is not going to satisfy an inquisitive audience.

    1. Timely or opportune.

    2. Suitable; fitting.

  3. Games Being a poker hand that is strong enough to make drawing cards unlikely to improve it.

adv.   Informal
Completely, exactly, or perfectly: They've got the system down pat. He has the lesson pat.

[From pat1.]
pat'ly adv., pat'ness n.
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

pat  (n.)
c.1400, "a blow, stroke," perhaps originally imitative of the sound of patting. The verb "to tap or strike lightly" is attested from 1601, and the noun "light tap with hand" is from c.1804. The noun sense "that which is formed by patting" (as in pat of butter) is 1754, probably from the verb. The nursery rhyme phrase pat-a-cake is known from 1874.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: PAT
Function: abbreviation
paroxysmal atrial tachycardia
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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