—n.
1 a repeated decorative design on wallpaper, cloth, a carpet, etc.
2 a regular or logical form, order, or arrangement of parts (behaviour pattern; the pattern of one's daily life).
3 a model or design, e.g. of a garment, from which copies can be made.
4 an example of excellence; an ideal; a model (a pattern of elegance).
5 a wooden or metal figure from which a mould is made for a casting.
6 a sample (of cloth, wallpaper, etc.).
7 the marks made by shots, bombs, etc. on a target or target area.
8 a random combination of shapes or colours.
—v.tr.
1 (usu. foll. by after, on) model (a thing) on a design etc.
2 decorate with a pattern.
Phrases and idioms:
pattern bombing bombing over a large area, not on a single target.
Etymology: ME patron (see PATRON): differentiated in sense and spelling since the 16th-17th c.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.