Standard Lemma guide

patina

adj · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈpætɪnə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /pəˈtiː.nə/
  • US: /ˈpæ.tɪ.nə/
  • rhymes with -ætɪnə
  • rhymes with -iːnə
  • CMU ARPABET: P AH0 T IY1 N AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of a green colour, tinted with grey, like that of bronze patina.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A paten, flat type of dish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: originally

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The colour or incrustation which age and wear give to (mainly metallic) objects; especially, the green rust which covers works of art such as ancient bronzes, coins and medals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A green colour, tinted with grey, like that of bronze patina.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A gloss or superficial layer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable

Examples

  • he enjoys a patina of respect by the police, despite being an ex-criminal

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a fine coating of oxide on the surface of a metal

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: coating, coat

Narrower terms: verdigris

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian patina, from Latin patina (“dish, pan”), itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek πατάνη (patánē), either from Proto-Indo-European *peth2- (“to spread”) or from Pre-Greek. Doublet of paten, patena, and patine.

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: pateen — receptacle
  • French: patène — receptacle
  • Italian: patina — receptacle
  • Polish: patena — receptacle
  • Romanian: patină — receptacle
  • Catalan: pàtina — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Czech: patina — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Dutch: patina — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Finnish: patina — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • French: patine — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • German: Patina — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Japanese: 緑青 (rokushō) — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Persian: پتینه (patine) — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Polish: patyna — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Polish: śniedź — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Portuguese: pátina — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Romanian: patină — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Russian: па́тина (pátina) — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Russian: пати́на (patína) — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Serbo-Croatian: па̏тина — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Serbo-Croatian: pȁtina — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Spanish: pátina — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Swedish: patina — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Ukrainian: па́тина (pátyna) — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects
  • Ukrainian: пати́на (patýna) — colour or incrustation which age and wear give to objects