subpatent adjective 2noun 1forms 1 adjective2 •Infected but asymptomatic or not readily detectable.Following the period of patent parasitemia is a subpatent period. — 1991 •Less than patent, present but not fully formed or obviously separate from surrounding structures. noun1 •A legal grant for a subdivision of a patent or giving less than complete ownership rights.It soon became the chief purpose of the company to parcel out these vast holdings, either in individual plantations or, through subpatents, in blocks of thousands of acres. — 1941 formssubpatents
