A patent is a set of rights granted by a government to an inventor. Patent may also refer to: *

Letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

, a type of legal instrument issued by a monarch or president * Land patent, a land grant, such as in a patented mining claim * Patent leather, a shiny form of leather * Patent medicine, a medical compound of questionable effectiveness * Patent bet, in the UK, a type of wager * A botanical term

See also