letters patent

Etymology


From, from Late , , from  (the  of ), from , the plural of  (so called because they were written on open sheets of parchment), from  +  (the    of , from ). The English term is analysable as.

Noun

 * 1)  A type of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority to direct that some action be taken; to grant a monopoly, right, status, or title to a person or organization; or to record a contract.

Usage notes
The term is typically used in the form, even for a single document.

Translations

 * Afrikaans: patentbrief
 * Arabic: براءة تمليك
 * Catalan: carta patent
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: 專利特許證, 英皇制誥
 * Dutch:, wapendiploma
 * Finnish:, patenttikirja, ,
 * French:
 * German:, Patentschrift, Patenturkunde
 * Hebrew: מכתב הרשאה
 * Hungarian:, ,
 * Indonesian: surat paten
 * Italian: lettere patenti
 * Japanese: 勅許状, 開封特許状, 特許状
 * Latin: litterae patentēs
 * Macedonian: па́тентна по́тврда
 * Malay: surat paten
 * Middle English: lettres patentes, patent
 * Persian: فرمان علنی
 * Polish:
 * Portuguese: carta-patente
 * Russian: патентная гра́мота
 * Spanish: patente de privilegio, cédula de privilegio
 * Swedish: kungligt brev
 * Telugu: నామా
 * Turkish:, , imtiyazname