Patently
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William Hupy
- Senior Lexiterian
- Posts: 611
- Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:14 pm
Patently
The adverb IS related to patent. From Latin, meaning open. Combined with letter, it means open letter or document from some authority. Thus a patent is a letter issued by an authority giving certain rights to a product. The adverb means openly, as in patently false.
William A. Hupy
-
Slava
- Great Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 8109
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 am
- Location: Finger Lakes, NY
Re: Patently
Taking this one without -ly could give us a different kind of twofer than what we sometimes see here. Just toss in its opposite, latent. It does exist, but I don't recall having met the adverb.
Latescent made it to English, but patescent doesn't seem to have.
Latescent made it to English, but patescent doesn't seem to have.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.
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