means Describing someone who endures delay, trouble, or hardship without complaint — or, as a noun, a person receiving medical care.

from From Latin 'patiens,' the present participle of 'pati,' meaning 'to suffer, endure, or undergo.' That single root explains both senses: the patient person quietly bears whatever comes, and the medical patient is literally 'one who suffers.' It reached English through Old French 'pacient' in the medieval period. Its kin are everywhere — 'passion' (originally suffering, as in the Passion of Christ), 'compassion' (to suffer with), and 'passive' (acted upon, enduring rather than doing).