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.

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.

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.

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.

A small area, a small plot of land or piece of ground.

scattered patches of trees or growing corn

There was a blackberry patch down by the creek, and his grandparents called the pasture down there the cow patch.

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

My coat needs patching.

That concertina was a wonder in its way. The handles that was on it first was wore out long ago, and he'd made new ones of braided rope yarn. And the bellows was patched in more places than a cranberry picker's overalls.

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

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

I patched together this quilt.

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

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

[the control panel of hovercraft The Logos has lit up after being jumped by The Hammer] Sparky: She lives again. Crew member of The Hammer via radio: You want us to patch an uplink to reload the software, Sparky? Sparky: Yeah, that'd be swell. And can you clean the windshield while you're at it?

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

Shylock: The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder, Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day More than the wild-cat;[…]

Caliban: What a pied ninny's this! Thou scurvy patch![…]