pattern

noun

• 1a repeated decorative design:a neat blue herringbone pattern
• an arrangement or design regularly found in comparable objects:the house had been built on the usual pattern

• 2a regular and intelligible form or sequence discernible in the way in which something happens or is done:a complicating factor is the change in working patterns

• 3a model or design used as a guide in needlework and other crafts: make a pattern for the zigzag edge
• a set of instructions to be followed in making a sewn or knitted item: the bag contained wool, needles, and a pattern for a sweater
• a wooden or metal model from which a mould is made for a casting: to make a split mould a wooden pattern has to be made first
• a sample of cloth or wallpaper: [as modifier]:it is easier to choose carpets from the roll than from a pattern book

• 4an excellent example for others to follow:he set the pattern for subsequent study

verb

• 1 (usually as adjective patterned) decorate with a recurring design:rosebud patterned wallpapers

• 2give a regular or intelligible form to:the brain not only receives information, but interprets and patterns it
• (pattern something on/after) give something a form based on that of (something else):the clothing is patterned on athletes' wear