Pattern vs Patter - What's the difference?

pattern | patter |

As nouns the difference between pattern and patter

is that pattern is model, example while patter is godfather.

As a verb pattern

is to apply a pattern.

pattern

English

(wikipedia pattern)

Noun

(en noun)

Model, example.

# Something from which a copy is made; a model or outline.

#* 1923 , ‘President Wilson’, Time , 18 Jun 1923:

There is no reason why all colleges and universities should be cut to the same pattern .

# Someone or something seen as an example to be imitated; an exemplar.

#* 1946 , Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy , I.16:

The Platonic Socrates was a pattern to subsequent philosophers for many ages.

# A representative example.

# (US) The material needed to make a piece of clothing.

# (textiles) The paper or cardboard template from which the parts of a garment are traced onto fabric prior to cutting out and assembling.

# (metalworking, dated) A full-sized model around which a mould of sand is made, to receive the melted metal. It is usually made of wood and in several parts, so as to be removed from the mould without damage.

# (computing) A text string containing wildcards, used for matching.

There were no files matching the pattern *.txt.

Decorative arrangement.

# A design, motif or decoration, especially formed from regular repeated elements.

#* 2003 , Valentino, ‘Is there a future in fashion's past?’, Time , 5 Feb 2003:

On my way to work the other day, I stopped at a church in Rome and saw a painting of the Madonna. The subtle pattern of blues and golds in the embroidery of her dress was so amazing that I used it to design a new evening dress for my haute couture.

# A naturally-occurring or random arrangement of shapes, colours etc. which have a regular or decorative effect.

#* 2011 , Rachel Cooke, The Observer , 19 Jun 2011:

He lifted the entire joint or fowl up into the air, speared on a carving fork, and sliced pieces off it so that they fell on the plate below in perfectly organised patterns .

# The given spread, range etc. of shot fired from a gun.

# A particular sequence of events, facts etc. which can be understood, used to predict the future, or seen to have a mathematical, geometric, statistical etc. relationship.

#* 1980 , ‘Shifting Targets’, Time , 6 Oct 1980:

The three killings pointed to an ugly new shift in the enduring pattern of violence in Northern Ireland: the mostly Protestant Ulster police, or those suspected of affiliation with them, have become more prominent targets for the I.R.A. than the British troops.

#* 2003 , Kate Hudson, The Guardian , 14 Aug 2003:

Look again at how the US and its allies behaved then, and the pattern is unmistakable.

# (linguistics) An intelligible arrangement in a given area of language.

Synonyms

* original (1) * stencil (1) * tessellation (2) * category (3) * cycle (4) * similarity (5) * See also

Antonyms

* antipattern

Derived terms

* design pattern

Verb

(en verb)

to apply a pattern

To make or design (anything) by, from, or after, something that serves as a pattern; to copy; to model; to imitate.

* Sir T. Herbert

[A temple] patterned from that which Adam reared in Paradise.

to follow an example

to fit into a pattern

To serve as an example for.

Synonyms

* model * categorize (2)

patter

English

Etymology 1

1610s, of (onomatopoeia) origin.

Noun

(en noun)

The soft sound of feet walking on a hard surface.

I could hear the patter of mice running about in the dark.

*{{quote-book, year=1907, author=

, title=The Dust of Conflict , chapter=7 citation , passage=The patter of feet, and clatter of strap and swivel, seemed to swell into a bewildering din, but they were almost upon the fielato offices, where the carretera entered the town, before a rifle flashed.}}

Derived terms

* pitter-patter

Verb

(en verb)

To make irregularly repeated sounds of low-to-moderate magnitude and lower-than-average pitch.

The bullets pattered into the log-cabin walls.

* Thomson

The stealing shower is scarce to patter heard.

To spatter; to sprinkle.

* J. R. Drake

Patter the water about the boat.

Etymology 2

Circa 1400, from . Noun attested 1758, originally referring to the cant of thieves and beggers.

Noun

(en noun)

Glib and rapid speech, such as from an auctioneer, or banter during a sports event.

Verb

(en verb)

To speak in such a way – glibly and rapidly, such as from an auctioneer, or when bantering during a sports event.

* Mayhew

I've gone out and pattered to get money.

Derived terms

* Glasgow patter

Etymology 3

Noun

(en noun)

One who pats.

References

English onomatopoeias