Patch

Patch may refer to:

Computing

• Patch (computing), a piece of software designed to fix or improve a computer program or its supporting data
• patch (Unix), a UNIX utility that updates text files according to instructions contained in a separate file, called "patch file"
• Patch, a 3-D Bézier curve used in computer graphics, or a primitive in some 3-D software packages

Electronics

• Patch antenna, rectangular Microstrip Antenna is a radio antenna constructed from a single metal patch suspended over a ground plane
• Autopatch or phone patch, used in amateur radio to access an outgoing connection
• Patch (synthesizer), sound setting for musical synthesizers
• Patch cable, electrical or optical cable used to connect devices for signal routing
• Swede Patch 2000, guitar/synthesizer hybrid made by Hagström

Geography and landscape

• Coal patch, a town created for a coal mine and owned by the company
• Patch, California, community in Kern County
• Patch, St. Louis, a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri
• Patch, Gwbert, South Ceredigion, Wales
• Patch and mosaic, a relatively homogeneous area that differs from its surroundings in Landscape ecology
• A small garden where fruit or vegetables are grown (e.g., pumpkin patch)

Music

• "Patches", 1962 ballad sung by Dickey Lee
• "Patches" (Chairmen of the Board song), 1970 hit song co-written by General Johnson and recorded by Clarence Carter

People

• Alexander Patch (1889–1945), general of US Army in World War II
• Harry Patch (1898–2009), British veteran of World War I
• Horace Patch, American politician
• Patch Adams, a.k.a. Hunter Adams (born 1945), founder of the Gesundheit! Institute
• Patch, a.k.a. Steve Johnson (Days of our Lives), fictional character on the American soap opera Days of Our Lives
• Patch, fictional character from The Tribe played by Morgan Palmer-Hubbard

Science and medicine

• Contact patch, the portion of a vehicle's tire that is in actual contact with the road surface
• Dermal patch, adhesive patch to administer medication to the skin
• Patch butterflies, certain brush-footed butterflies in the genus Chlosyne
• Patch (dermatology), large discolored section of skin
• Transdermal patch, adhesive patch to administer medication into the bloodstream via the skin
  • Nicotine patch, transdermal patch that releases nicotine into the body
  • Contraceptive patch, transdermal patch that releases contraceptive

Textiles

• Embroidered patch, embroidered design applied to clothing by organizations or individuals
• Eyepatch, to cover an eye
• Shoulder patch, or Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (United States Army)
• IR flag, or IR patch, for military combat identification
• Gang patch, identifying insignia used by street gangs

Other uses

• PATCH (Pembrokeshire Action To Combat Hardship), a Pembrokeshire based charity
• Patch Media Corporation, operator of online news service Patch.com
• Patch, the practice of compulsory figures in figure skating, as each skater is assigned their own "patch" of ice