patterning

noun

pat·​tern·​ing ˈpa-tər-niŋ 

1

: decoration, composition, or configuration according to a pattern

2

: physical therapy especially for neurological impairment based on a theory holding that repeated manipulation of body parts to simulate normal motor developmental activity (such as crawling or walking) promotes neurological development or repair

Examples of patterning in a Sentence

The wallpaper is decorated with floral patterning.

Recent Examples on the Web

The straps of the dress did not include the patterning and provided a slight fabric contrast. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 5 June 2025

This is especially true in the recent N.B.A. After many decades of dynastic patterning—the eighties Lakers and Celtics; the nineties Bulls; the Lakers and Spurs of the aughts; the Heat and Warriors of the twenty-tens—no team has repeated as champion in the past seven years. —Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 2 June 2025

Brecher's deep-sky portrait reveals incredible detail in the arms of the spiral galaxy, the patterning and structure of which bear a striking resemblance to the head of a cosmic sunflower. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 18 May 2025

These developments could include multilayer recording and media patterning, combined with HAMR. —Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

patterning

noun

pat·​tern·​ing

: physical therapy especially for neurological impairment based on a theory holding that repeated manipulation of body parts to simulate normal motor developmental activity (as crawling or walking) promotes neurological development or repair