1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Pattern

PATTERN, a model, that which serves as an original from which similar objects may be made, or as an example or specimen; in particular an artistic design serving as a sample or model, hence the arrangement or grouping of lines, figures, &c., which make up such a design. The word was taken from Fr. patron, Lat. patronus, a defender or protector. In medieval Latin patronus had the specific meaning of example, and in modern French both meanings of patron and pattern attach to patron. “Patron” in the sense of copy, example, began to be pronounced and spelled in England as “pattern” in the 16th century.