interpretivism1 relating to, explaining, or understanding the meaning of something:Reading is an interpretative 2 relating to how feelings are expressed through music, dance, art etc:interpretive danceprecedent1[countable] an action or official decision that can be used to give support to later actions or decisions:a legal precedentset/create a precedentUN involvement in the country's affairs would set a dangerous precedent forprecedents for what courts will accept as 'fair'2 [uncountable and countable] something of the same type that has happened or existed beforeprecedent forThere's not much precedent for men taking leave when their baby is without precedentAn epidemic on this scale is without 3 [uncountable] the way that things have always been donebreak with precedent (=do something in a new way)patent[uncountable and countable] a special document that gives you the right to make or sell a new invention or product that no one else is allowed to copypatent on/forHe applied for a patent for a new method of removing He wants to take out a patent on his new type of The drugs are protected by