pattern: Meaning and Definition of

pat•tern

Pronunciation: (pat'urn Brit. pat&primnbn), [key]
— n.
  1. a decorative design, as for wallpaper, china, or textile fabrics, etc.
  2. decoration or ornament having such a design.
  3. a natural or chance marking, configuration, or design: patterns of frost on the window.
  4. a distinctive style, model, or form: a new pattern of army helmet.
  5. a combination of qualities, acts, tendencies, etc., forming a consistent or characteristic arrangement: the behavior patterns of teenagers.
  6. an original or model considered for or deserving of imitation: Our constitution has been a pattern for those of many new republics.
  7. anything fashioned or designed to serve as a model or guide for something to be made: a paper pattern for a dress.
  8. a sufficient quantity of material for making a garment.
  9. the path of flight established for an aircraft approaching an airport at which it is to land.
  10. a diagram of lines transmitted occasionally by a television station to aid in adjusting receiving sets; test pattern.
  11. a model or form, usually of wood or metal, used for giving the shape of the interior of a mold.
  12. Numis. a coin, either the redesign of an existing piece or the model for a new one, submitted for authorization as a regular issue.
  13. an example, instance, sample, or specimen.
    1. the distribution of strikes around a target at which artillery rounds have been fired or on which bombs have been dropped.
    2. a diagram showing such distribution.
—v.t.
  1. to make or fashion after or according to a pattern.
  2. to cover or mark with a pattern.
    1. to imitate.
    2. to attempt to match or duplicate.
—v.i.
  1. to make or fall into a pattern.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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