What does pat mean?

Definitions for pat
pætpat

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word pat.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. pat, rap, tapnoun

    the sound made by a gentle blow

  2. tap, pat, dabadjective

    a light touch or stroke

  3. glib, pat, slickadjective

    having only superficial plausibility

    "glib promises"; "a slick commercial"

  4. patverb

    exactly suited to the occasion

    "a pat reply"

  5. chuck, patverb

    pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin

  6. dab, patadverb

    hit lightly

    "pat him on the shoulder"

  7. patadverb

    completely or perfectly

    "he has the lesson pat"; "had the system down pat"

Wiktionary

  1. Patnoun

    A short form of the female given name Patricia.

  2. Patnoun

    A short form of the male given name Patrick.

  3. Etymology: Originally probably imitative.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Patadjective

    Etymology: from pas, Dutch, Skinner.

    Pat pat; and here’s a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. William Shakespeare, Midsummer Night’s Dream.

    Now I might do it pat, now he is praying. William Shakespeare.

    They never saw two things so pat,
    In all respects, as this and that. Hudibras, p. ii.

    Zuinglius dreamed of a text, which he found very pat to his doctrine of the Eucharist. Francis Atterbury.

    He was surely put to’t at the end of a verse,
    Because he could find no word to come pat in. Jonathan Swift.

  2. Patnoun

    Etymology: patte, Fr. is a foot, and thence pat may be a blow with the foot.

    The least noise is enough to disturb the operation of his brain; the pat of a shuttle-cock, or the creaking of a jack will do. Jeremy Collier, on human Reason.

  3. To Patverb

    To strike lightly; to tap.

    Etymology: from the noun.

    Children prove, whether they can rub upon the breast with one hand, and pat upon the forehead with another, and straightways they pat with both. Francis Bacon, Nat. Hist.

    Gay pats my shoulder, and you vanish quite. Alexander Pope.

ChatGPT

  1. pat

    The term "pat" has multiple meanings and its definition depends on the context. 1) As a noun, "pat" means a light tap or stroke, often given with the hand. Example: Her mother gave a reassuring pat on her back. 2) As a verb, "pat" means to touch someone or something lightly and usually repeatedly with the hand flat, either in an affectionate or casual manner. Example: He patted his dog on the head. 3) In the context of cooking, "pat" can also refer to a small, soft, flat piece of something, most commonly butter. Example: She topped the muffins with a pat of butter. 4) "Pat" can also be used as an adjective meaning easily or conveniently available. Example: She had a pat answer for every question. 5) In some contexts, "Pat" could be a personal name, used for both males and females. Example: Pat Smith is a common name. 6) In golf, "pat" can refer to the standard number of strokes in which a hole should be completed. Make sure to understand the context in which the term "pat" is being used to ascertain its meaning.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Patverb

    to strike gently with the fingers or hand; to stroke lightly; to tap; as, to pat a dog

  2. Patnoun

    a light, quik blow or stroke with the fingers or hand; a tap

  3. Patnoun

    a small mass, as of butter, shaped by pats

  4. Patadjective

    exactly suitable; fit; convenient; timely

  5. Patadverb

    in a pat manner

  6. Etymology: [Cf. pat a light blow, D. te pas convenient, pat, where pas is fr. F. passer to pass.]

Wikidata

  1. Pat

    Pat is an androgynous fictional character created and performed by Julia Sweeney for the American sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and later featured in the film It's Pat. The central aspect of sketches featuring Pat was the inability of others to determine the character's gender.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Pat

    pat, n. a light, quick blow, as with the hand.—v.t. to strike gently: to tap:—pr.p. pat′ting; pa.t. and pa.p. pat′ted.Pat on the back, to mark approval by patting on the back, to patronise. [Imit.]

  2. Pat

    pat, n. a small, moulded lump of butter. [Celt., as Ir. pait, a lump.]

  3. Pat

    pat, adj. fitly: at the right time or place.—adv. Pat′ly, fitly, conveniently.—n. Pat′ness, fitness, appropriateness. [Pat, a light blow.]

Suggested Resources

  1. PAT

    What does PAT stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the PAT acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Etymology and Origins

  1. Pat

    See “Paddy.”

Who Was Who?

  1. Pat

    Also of Ireland. At an early age he emigrated to the United States. There he took up the hod-carrying business. Went on the stage and set the world laughing. He also entered politics, captured the American police force, and, together with his brothers in Parliament, rules Great Britain and the United States.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. PAT

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Pat is ranked #36585 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Pat surname appeared 611 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Pat.

    30.9% or 189 total occurrences were White.
    28.3% or 173 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    25.2% or 154 total occurrences were Asian.
    7.6% or 47 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
    6.7% or 41 total occurrences were Black.
    1.1% or 7 total occurrences were of two or more races.

British National Corpus

  1. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'pat' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2476

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for pat »

  1. APT

  2. ap't

  3. apt

  4. apt.

  5. ATP

  6. PTA

  7. TAP

  8. tap

How to pronounce pat?

How to say pat in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of pat in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of pat in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of pat in a Sentence

  1. Lou DiBella:

    He was surrounded by his family, close friends and members of his boxing team, including his mentor, friend and trainer Joe Higgins, on behalf of Patrick's family, team, and those closest to him, we are grateful for the prayers, expressions of support and outpouring of love for Pat that have been so obvious since his injury.

  2. Kate Andersen:

    As Watergate raged on, Pat Nixon spent lots of time sequestered in her room alone in the Residence. Butlers brought her breakfast and often she would only drink the coffee. People around her grew concerned about her health because it was obvious that Watergate was taking a toll and she was losing weight.

  3. Seve Ballesteros:

    I look into their eyes, shake their hand, pat their back, and wish them luck, but I am thinking, 'I am going to bury you. ...................................................... On a golf course Seve has got everything. I mean everything: touch, power, know-how, courage and charisma.

  4. Bob McNally:

    Stand pat. Don't commit mistakes, wait for prices to come down.

  5. Judith Joan Walker:

    Because we’re doing something good for the world, we should also do it for free -- that’s the strange perception of the world, if you’re doing something good for the world, you shouldn’t make money on it. Just like directors of NGOs or charities; they shouldn’t make money. But tomorrow if I designed an app that gave you funny eyebrows and it went crazy and everyone was sharing it and I made a billion dollars on an app that gave you a funny-looking face, everyone would pat me on the back and say congrats. But if you’re doing something incredible, people are dubious.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

pat#1#4535#10000

Translations for pat

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"pat." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/pat>.

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    a decorative musical accompaniment (often improvised) added above a basic melody
    A abet
    B excogitate
    C descant
    D knead

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