Patient | Webster's Dictionary (1865)

Pā'tient, a.

adjective

(pā'shent), a. [Fr. patient, Pr. patient, pacient, Sp. paciente, It. paziente, Lat. patiens, p. pr. of pati, to suffer.] 1. Bearing; enduring; suffering with meekness and submission; sustaining pains, trials, or the like, without repining, murmuring, or fretfulness; bearing up with equanimity against that which is calculated to trouble, to distress, to depress, &c.; calmly submissive; constant in pursuit or exertion; persevering; calmly diligent. Be patient toward all men. 1 Thess. v. 14. Whatever I have done is due to patient thought. Newton. 2. Expectant with calmness, or without discontent; not hasty; not over-eager or impetuous. Not patient to expect the turns of fate. Prior.

Pā'tient, n.

noun

(pā'shent), n. 1. A person or thing that receives impressions from external agents; one who, or that which, is passively affected; a passive recipient.

Malice is a passion so impetuous and precipitate that it often involves the agent and the patient. Gov. of the Tongue.

Sense 2. A diseased person under medical treatment;—generally used as a correlative to physician or nurse.

It is wonderful to observe how inapprehensive these patients are of their disease. Blackmore.

In-patient, a patient who receives also boarding and lodging at a hospital or infirmary.—Out-patient, one who only receives advice and medicine from an infirmary.

Pā'tient, v. t.

verbtransitive

To produce patience in; to compose. [Obs.] Shak.