Word family noun patience ≠ impatience patient adjective patient ≠ impatient adverb patiently ≠ impatiently
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpatientpa‧tient1 /ˈpeɪʃənt/ ●●● S2 W1 noun [countable] someone who is receiving medical treatment from a doctor or in a hospital► see thesaurus at customerCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + patienta cancer/AIDS etc patientOne in three cancer patients suffers no pain at all.a heart patient (=one with heart disease)Some heart patients have to wait between three months and a year for surgery.a mental/psychiatric patient (=one with problems relating to their mind)The drug was used in the past to treat mental patients.a seriously ill/critically ill patientThe ward was packed with seriously ill patients.a hospital patientAll hospital patients have to follow a daily routine.verbstreat a patient (=try to cure their illness or injury)Patients are treated in terms of priority.see a patientI stayed in the treatment room while the doctor saw another patient. examine a patientCan you please wait outside while the physician examines the patient.a patient receives treatment/a drugTwelve of these patients were receiving treatment with a new drug.a patient responds to treatment (=starts recovering)Some patients respond quickly and satisfactorily to treatment.a patient recoversThe treatment succeeded and the patient recovered rapidly.a patient is admitted (to hospital)This examination should be done when the patient is admitted to hospital.a patient is discharged (from hospital) (=allowed to leave it)The patient was discharged after eight days.Examples from the Corpus
patient• St Dominic's Hospital treats about 10,000 patients a year.• He gave a half million pound donation towards the care of AIDs patients.• In all five patients under 50 creatinine values returned to normal.• Other patients had external haemorrhoids, though less serious.• Clinical trials show that some patients with breast cancer do better if they take the drug for five years after surgery.• One out of every seven plastic surgery patients is a man.• A comprehensive review of the patient can be achieved through the use of the care plan.• The patients also are examined, and undergo laboratory tests, based on their complaints.• San Mateo County officials already are looking into the prospects for their patients.• Although these patients usually have astonishingly good morale and fighting spirit, everything humanely possible should be done to keep it up.• The outcome of these patients is uncertain and the advisability of restorative proctocolectomy is, therefore, controversial.patientpatient2 ●●● W3 adjective WAITable to wait calmly for a long time or to accept difficulties, people’s annoying behaviour etc without becoming angry OPP impatient You’ll just have to be patient and wait till I’m off the phone.patient with Louise was very patient with me. —patiently adverb He waited patiently for Katherine to speak.Examples from the Corpus
patient• I'm sure she'll write soon. Just try to be patient.• The audience waited patiently for the show to begin.• She takes the time to be more patient and is in less of a hurry.• In the box office, which is occupied by two women with patient smiles, they blame the trains.• The long and patient struggle to achieve equal rights will continue.• Halle was patient, waiting for the boy to finish his explanation.be patient• The best approach is to be patient and philosophical.• These are patients cut off from their capacity to feel, presumably to protect themselves from emotional pain.• The people are patient, too patient, but a day will come when the sufferings of the proletariat will become unbearable.• But the user must be patient when learning the ins and outs of an expansion card.• More difficult would be patients with a deep seated psychological problem which would require more than three months' treatment.• I would be patient with my animal companion, show him what a sweet-tempered mistress I could be.• You had to be patient with the stupidities of power, with the fraudulence of business.• He would be patient with this young priest.Origin patient2 (1300-1400) French Latin, present participle of pati “to suffer” 