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Patch vs. Spell — What's the Difference?

Patch vs. Spell — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Patch and Spell

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Patch

A small piece of material affixed to another, larger piece to conceal, reinforce, or repair a worn area, hole, or tear.

Spell

To name or write in order the letters constituting (a word).

Patch

A small piece of cloth used for patchwork.

Spell

To constitute the letters of (a word)
These letters spell animal.

Patch

A small cloth badge affixed to a garment as a decoration or an insignia, as of a military unit.
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Spell

To add up to; signify
Their unwise investment could spell financial ruin.

Patch

A dressing or covering applied to protect a wound or sore.

Spell

To name or write in order the letters of a word or words
I've never been able to spell very well.

Patch

A pad or shield of cloth worn over an eye socket or an injured eye.

Spell

To put (someone) under a spell; bewitch.

Patch

A transdermal patch.

Spell

To relieve (someone) from work temporarily by taking a turn.

Patch

See beauty spot.

Spell

To allow (someone) to rest a while.

Patch

A small piece, part, or section, especially that which differs from or contrasts with the whole
A patch of thin ice.
Patches of sunlight.

Spell

To take turns working.

Patch

A small plot or piece of land, especially one that produces or is used for growing specific vegetation
A briar patch.
A bean patch.

Spell

(Australian) To rest for a time from an activity.

Patch

An indefinite period of time; a spell
Weathered a difficult patch after losing his job.

Spell

A word or formula believed to have magic power.

Patch

A temporary, removable electronic connection, as one between two components in a communications system.

Spell

A bewitched state or trance
The sorcerer put the prince under a spell.

Patch

(Computers) A piece of code added to software in order to fix a bug, especially as a temporary correction between two releases.

Spell

A compelling attraction; charm or fascination
The spell of the theater.

Patch

To put a patch or patches on
Patched my pants.

Spell

A short, indefinite period of time.

Patch

To make by sewing scraps of material together
Patch a quilt.

Spell

(Informal) A period of weather of a particular kind
A dry spell.

Patch

To mend, repair, or put together, especially hastily, clumsily, or poorly
They patched together the broken statues with glue and plaster. The delegates will be forced to patch up their differences.

Spell

One's turn at work.

Patch

To connect temporarily (electronic components), as with a patch cord.

Spell

A period of work; a shift.

Patch

(Computers) To correct a bug in (an item of software), especially as a temporary correction between releases.

Spell

(Australian) A period of rest.

Patch

(Electronics) To be connected temporarily.

Spell

(Informal) A period of physical or mental disorder or distress
A dizzy spell.

Patch

A piece of cloth, or other suitable material, sewed or otherwise fixed upon a garment to repair or strengthen it, especially upon an old garment to cover a hole.
His sleeves had patches on the elbows where different fabric had been sewn on to replace material that had worn away.

Spell

(Informal) A short distance.

Patch

A small piece of anything used to repair damage or a breach; as, a patch on a kettle, a roof, etc.
I can't afford to replace the roof, which is what it really needs. I'll have the roofer apply a patch.

Spell

Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.
He cast a spell to cure warts.

Patch

A piece of any size, used to repair something for a temporary period only, or that it is temporary because it is not meant to last long or will be removed as soon as a proper repair can be made, which will happen in the near future.
Before you can fix a dam, you have to apply a patch to the hole so that everything can dry off.
"This patch should hold until you reach the city," the mechanic said as he patted the car's hood.

Spell

A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula.
Under a spell

Patch

A small, usually contrasting but always somehow different or distinct, part of something else (location, time, size)
The world economy had a rough patch in the 1930s.
To me, a normal cow is white with black patches, but Sarah's from Texas and most of the cows there have solid brown, black, or red coats.
Doesn't that patch of clouds looks like a bunny?
When ice skating, be sure to stay away from reeds: there are always thin patches of ice there, and you could fall through.

Spell

(obsolete) Speech, discourse.

Patch

A small area, a small plot of land or piece of ground.
Scattered patches of trees or growing corn.

Spell

A shift (of work); (rare) a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour.

Patch

A local region of professional responsibility.

Spell

(informal) A definite period (of work or other activity).

Patch

(historical) A small piece of black silk stuck on the face or neck to heighten beauty by contrast, worn by ladies in the 17th and 18th centuries; an imitation beauty mark.

Spell

(colloquial) An indefinite period of time (usually with a qualifier); by extension, a relatively short distance.

Patch

(medicine) A piece of material used to cover a wound.

Spell

A period of rest; time off.

Patch

(medicine) An adhesive piece of material, impregnated with a drug, which is worn on the skin, the drug being slowly absorbed over a period of time.
Many people use a nicotine patch to wean themselves off of nicotine.

Spell

A period of illness, or sudden interval of bad spirits, disease etc.

Patch

(medicine) A cover worn over a damaged eye, an eyepatch.
He had scratched his cornea so badly that his doctor told him to wear a patch.

Spell

(cricket) An uninterrupted series of alternate overs bowled by a single bowler.

Patch

A block on the muzzle of a gun, to do away with the effect of dispart, in sighting.

Spell

(dialectal) A splinter, usually of wood; a spelk.

Patch

(computing) A patch file, a file that describes changes to be made to a computer file or files, usually changes made to a computer program that fix a programming bug.

Spell

The wooden bat in the game of trap ball, or knurr and spell.

Patch

(firearms) A small piece of material that is manually passed through a gun barrel to clean it.

Spell

To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.

Patch

(firearms) A piece of greased cloth or leather used as wrapping for a rifle ball, to make it fit the bore.

Spell

To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort.

Patch

A cable connecting two pieces of electrical equipment.
Soundboard patch

Spell

To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word.

Patch

(music) A sound setting for a musical synthesizer (originally selected by means of a patch cable).

Spell

(intransitive) To be able to write or say the letters that form words.
I find it difficult to spell because I'm dyslexic.

Patch

An overlay used to obtain a stronger impression.

Spell

(transitive) Of letters: to compose (a word).
The letters “a”, “n” and “d” spell “and”.

Patch

A butterfly of the genus Chlosyne.

Spell

To clarify; to explain in detail.
Please spell it out for me.

Patch

(archaic) A paltry fellow; a rogue; a ninny; a fool.

Spell

(transitive) To indicate that (some event) will occur.
This spells trouble.

Patch

To mend by sewing on a piece or pieces of cloth, leather, or the like
My coat needs patching.

Spell

To constitute; to measure.

Patch

To mend with pieces; to repair by fastening pieces on.

Spell

(obsolete) To speak, to declaim.

Patch

To make out of pieces or patches, like a quilt.

Spell

(obsolete) To tell; to relate; to teach.

Patch

To join or unite the pieces of; to patch the skirt.

Spell

(transitive) To work in place of (someone).
To spell the helmsman

Patch

To employ a temporary, removable electronic connection, as one between two components in a communications system.

Spell

(transitive) To rest (someone or something), to give someone or something a rest or break.
They spelled the horses and rested in the shade of some trees near a brook.

Patch

(generally with the particle "up") To repair or arrange in a hasty or clumsy manner
The truce between the two countries has been patched up.

Spell

To rest from work for a time.

Patch

(computing) To make the changes a patch describes; to apply a patch to the files in question. Hence:

Spell

A spelk, or splinter.

Patch

To fix or improve a computer program without a complete upgrade.

Spell

The relief of one person by another in any piece of work or watching; also, a turn at work which is carried on by one person or gang relieving another; as, a spell at the pumps; a spell at the masthead.
A spell at the wheel is called a trick.

Patch

To make a quick and possibly temporary change to a program.

Spell

The time during which one person or gang works until relieved; hence, any relatively short period of time, whether a few hours, days, or weeks.
Nothing new has happened in this quarter, except the setting in of a severe spell of cold weather.

Patch

To connect two pieces of electrical equipment using a cable.
I'll need to patch the preamp output to the mixer.

Spell

One of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells.
Their toil is so extreme that they can not endure it above four hours in a day, but are succeeded by spells.

Patch

A piece of cloth, or other suitable material, sewed or otherwise fixed upon a garment to repair or strengthen it, esp. upon an old garment to cover a hole.
Patches set upon a little breach.

Spell

A gratuitous helping forward of another's work; as, a logging spell.

Patch

A small piece of anything used to repair a breach; as, a patch on a kettle, a roof, etc.

Spell

A story; a tale.

Patch

A small piece of black silk stuck on the face, or neck, to hide a defect, or to heighten beauty.
Your black patches you wear variously.

Spell

A stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm.
Start not; her actions shall be holy asYou hear my spell is lawful.

Patch

A piece of greased cloth or leather used as wrapping for a rifle ball, to make it fit the bore.

Spell

To supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of, at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman.

Patch

Fig.: Anything regarded as a patch; a small piece of ground; a tract; a plot; as, scattered patches of trees or growing corn.
Employed about this patch of ground.

Spell

To tell; to relate; to teach.
Might I that legend find,By fairies spelt in mystic rhymes.

Patch

A block on the muzzle of a gun, to do away with the effect of dispart, in sighting.

Spell

To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.
He was much spelled with Eleanor Talbot.

Patch

A paltry fellow; a rogue; a ninny; a fool.

Spell

To constitute; to measure.
The Saxon heptarchy, when seven kings put together did spell but one in effect.

Patch

To mend by sewing on a piece or pieces of cloth, leather, or the like; as, to patch a coat.

Spell

To tell or name in their proper order letters of, as a word; to write or print in order the letters of, esp. the proper letters; to form, as words, by correct orthography.
The word "satire" ought to be spelled with i, and not with y.

Patch

To mend with pieces; to repair with pieces festened on; to repair clumsily; as, to patch the roof of a house.

Spell

To discover by characters or marks; to read with difficulty; - usually with out; as, to spell out the sense of an author; to spell out a verse in the Bible.
To spell out a God in the works of creation.
To sit spelling and observing divine justice upon every accident.

Patch

To adorn, as the face, with a patch or patches.
Ladies who patched both sides of their faces.

Spell

To form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters, either orally or in writing.
When what small knowledge was, in them did dwell,And he a god, who could but read or spell.

Patch

To make of pieces or patches; to repair as with patches; to arrange in a hasty or clumsy manner; - generally with up; as, to patch up a truce.

Spell

To study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn the meaning of anything, by study.
Where I may sit and rightly spellOf every star that heaven doth shew,And every herb that sips the dew.

Patch

A small contrasting part of something;
A bald spot
A leopard's spots
A patch of clouds
Patches of thin ice
A fleck of red

Spell

A psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation

Patch

A small area of ground covered by specific vegetation;
A bean plot
A cabbage patch
A briar patch

Spell

A time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else);
It's my go
A spell of work

Patch

A piece of cloth used as decoration or to mend or cover a hole

Spell

A period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition;
He was here for a little while
I need to rest for a piece
A spell of good weather
A patch of bad weather

Patch

A period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition;
He was here for a little while
I need to rest for a piece
A spell of good weather
A patch of bad weather

Spell

A verbal formula believed to have magical force;
He whispered a spell as he moved his hands
Inscribed around its base is a charm in Balinese

Patch

A short set of commands to correct a bug in a computer program

Spell

Recite the letters of or give the spelling of;
How do you spell this word?

Patch

A connection intended to be used for a limited time

Spell

Indicate or signify;
I'm afraid this spells trouble!

Patch

Sewing or darning that repairs a worn or torn hole (especially in a garment);
Her stockings had several mends

Spell

Write or name the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word);
He spelled the word wrong in this letter

Patch

A protective cloth covering for an injured eye

Spell

Place under a spell

Patch

A piece of soft material that covers and protects an injured part of the body

Patch

To join or unite the pieces of;
Patch the skirt

Patch

Provide with a patch; also used metaphorically;
The field was patched with snow

Patch

Mend by putting a patch on;
Patch a hole

Patch

Repair by adding pieces;
She pieced the china cup

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