patching

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
patch/patʃ/

▶noun

• 1 a piece of material used to cover a torn or weak point.

  ■ a shield worn over a sightless or injured eye.

  ■ a piece of cloth sewn on to clothing as a badge.

  ■ an adhesive piece of drug-impregnated material worn on the skin so that the drug may be gradually absorbed.

  ■ historical a small black silk disc worn on the face, especially by women in the 17th and 18th centuries.

• 2 a small area differently coloured or otherwise distinct.

• 3 a small piece of ground, especially one used for gardening.

  ■ Brit. informal an area for which someone is responsible or in which they operate.

• 4 Brit. informal a period of time regarded as distinct: a bad patch.

• 5 a temporary electrical or telephone connection.

  ■ a preset configuration or sound data file in an electronic musical instrument.

• 6 Computing a small piece of code inserted to correct or enhance a program.

▶verb

• 1 mend, strengthen, or protect by means of a patch.

  ■ (usu. be patched with) cause to become variegated.

• 2 (patch someone/thing up) informal treat someone's injuries or repair the damage to something, especially hastily.

  ■ (patch something together) construct something hastily from unsuitable components.

  ■ (patch something up) restore peaceful or friendly relations after a quarrel or dispute.

• 3 connect by a temporary electrical, radio, or telephonic connection.

• 4 Computing improve or correct (a routine or program) by inserting a patch.

– phrases
not a patch on Brit. informal greatly inferior to.

– derivatives
patcher noun.

– origin ME: perh. from a var. of OFr. pieche, dial. var. of piece ‘piece’.