letters patent

Noun

1.

letters patent - an official document granting a right or privilege Synonyms: patent

LETTERS PATENT. The name of an instrument granted by the government to convey a right to the patentee; as, a patent for a tract of land; or to secure to him a right which he already possesses, as a patent for a new invention or discovery; Letters patent are a matter of record. They are so called because they are not sealed up, but are granted open. Vide Patent.

instrument, jurisprudence, law, legal document, legal instrument, official document, patent