Patency
/ˈpeɪ.tən.si/noun
The state of being open, unobstructed, or legally recognized as valid and enforceable.
Did you know?Patency comes from Latin *patens*, meaning “open” or “lying open,” from the same root that gives us *patent* and *expedite*—words tied to what is made open, cleared, or set free.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pet-
“to spread out, to rush, to fly”
Latin
Latin
patēre
“to be open, lie open, be exposed”
Latin
Latin
patēns
“open, exposed”
Late Latin / Old French
Latin/Old French
patentem / patent
“open, evident, officially granted and made public”
14th–17th Century
English
patent
“open, manifest; later, a public legal grant of exclusive rights”
19th Century
English
patency
“the condition of being open or unobstructed; later, legal validity or enforceability”