n. [ OE. pacche; of uncertain origin, perh. for placche; cf. Prov. E. platch patch, LG. plakk, plakke. ] 1. A piece of cloth, or other suitable material, sewed or otherwise fixed upon a garment to repair or strengthen it, esp. upon an old garment to cover a hole. [ 1913 Webster ]

Patches set upon a little breach. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: A small piece of anything used to repair a breach; as, a patch on a kettle, a roof, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A small piece of black silk stuck on the face, or neck, to hide a defect, or to heighten beauty. [ 1913 Webster ]

Your black patches you wear variously. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Gun.) A piece of greased cloth or leather used as wrapping for a rifle ball, to make it fit the bore. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Fig.: Anything regarded as a patch; a small piece of ground; a tract; a plot; as, scattered patches of trees or growing corn. [ 1913 Webster ]

Employed about this patch of ground. Bunyan. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Mil.) A block on the muzzle of a gun, to do away with the effect of dispart, in sighting. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A paltry fellow; a rogue; a ninny; a fool. [ Obs. or Colloq. ] “Thou scurvy patch.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Patch ice, ice in overlapping pieces in the sea. --
Soft patch, a patch for covering a crack in a metallic vessel, as a steam boiler, consisting of soft material, as putty, covered and held in place by a plate bolted or riveted fast. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Patched p. pr. & vb. n. Patching. ] 1. To mend by sewing on a piece or pieces of cloth, leather, or the like; as, to patch a coat. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To mend with pieces; to repair with pieces festened on; to repair clumsily; as, to patch the roof of a house. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To adorn, as the face, with a patch or patches. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ladies who patched both sides of their faces. Spectator. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To make of pieces or patches; to repair as with patches; to arrange in a hasty or clumsy manner; -- generally with up; as, to patch up a truce. “If you'll patch a quarrel.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Computers) A circuit board where circuits are completed and modified by making connections with patchcords.
Syn. -- switchboard, plugboard. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A conducting cord with a plug at each end, used to make connections between circuit terminals at a patchboard. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

pos>adj. 1. Mended, usually clumsily by covering a hole with a patch; as, patched jeans. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. [ p. p. of patch, v. t.. ] Partly covered; as, The field was patched with ice and snow. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One who patches or botches. Foxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Botchery; covering of defects; bungling; hypocrisy. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Unevenness in quality or performance. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The act of mending a hole in a garment by sewing a patch over it. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. Knavishly; deceitfully. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]