A doctor examiines her patient.
A doctor checks her patients throat.
- The definition of patient is waiting calmly for however long is needed.
An example of patient is waiting two hours to see the vet without protest.
- Patient is defined as someone under medical care.
An example of patient is someone having her throat checked by a doctor.
- bearing or enduring pain, trouble, etc. without complaining or losing self-control
- refusing to be provoked or angered, as by an insult; forbearing; tolerant
- calmly tolerating delay, confusion, inefficiency, etc.
- able to wait calmly for something desired
- showing or characterized by patience: a patient face
- steady; diligent; persevering: a patient worker
- Rare receiving action; passive
Origin of patientMiddle English pacient ; from Old French ; from Classical Latin patiens, patient, present participle of pati: see passion
- a person receiving care or treatment, esp. from a doctor
- Rare a person who receives an action
- Gram. the word or words designating the person or thing affected by the action of the verb
- capable of bearing (fatigue, thirst, etc.)
- admitting of or having (a certain meaning)
- Bearing or enduring pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance with calmness.
- Marked by or exhibiting calm endurance of pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance.
- Tolerant; understanding: an unfailingly patient leader and guide.
- Persevering; constant: With patient industry, she revived the failing business and made it thrive.
- Capable of calmly awaiting an outcome or result; not hasty or impulsive.
- Capable of bearing or enduring pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance: “My uncle Toby was a man patient of injuries” (Laurence Sterne).
- One who receives medical attention, care, or treatment.
- Linguistics A noun or noun phrase identifying one that is acted upon or undergoes an action. Also called goal.
- Obsolete One who suffers.
Origin of patientMiddle English pacient, from Old French, from Latin pati&emacron;ns, patient-, present participle of pat&imacron;, to endure; see p&emacron;(i)- in Indo-European roots.
(comparative patienter or more patient, superlative patientest or most patient)
- A person or animal who receives treatment from a doctor or other medically educated person.
- (linguistics, grammar) The noun or noun phrase that is semantically on the receiving end of a verb's action.
- The subject of a passive verb is usually a patient.
- One who, or that which, is passively affected; a passive recipient.
- (linguistics, grammar): agent