Etymograph

English

patten

Patten comes from Latin patta ‘paw, foot’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpatta1‘paw, foot’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400patin1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500patyn1‘patten, clog’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1660patten1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English patten
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1660, January 24th, 1659–1660: “I went and told part of the excise money…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpattaWiktionary, English patten‘paw, foot’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400patinWiktionary, English patten
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500patynWiktionary, English patten‘patten, clog’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1660pattenWiktionary, English patten. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1660, January 24th, 1659–1660: “I went and told part of the excise money…”

Linked words

through Latin patta ‘paw, foot’

patrol, panton, 1 more

Today it means

noun Any of various types of footwear with thick soles, often used to elevate the foot, especially wooden clogs.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “patten”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin patta / patten

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