Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
PATCH
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English pacche
Date: 14th century
a piece of material used to mend or cover a hole or a weak spot, a tiny piece of black silk or court plaster worn on the face or neck especially by women to hide a blemish or to heighten beauty,
3. a piece of material (as adhesive plaster) used medically usually to cover a wound, a usually disk-shaped piece of material that is worn on the skin and contains a substance (as a drug) that is absorbed at a constant rate through the skin into the bloodstream , a shield worn over the socket of an injured or missing eye,
4. a small piece ; scrap , a part or area distinct from that about it , a period of time ; spell , someone or something equal or comparable, a piece of cloth sewed on a garment as an ornament or insignia, a temporary connection in a communication system (as a telephone hookup), a minor correction or modification in a computer program,
II. transitive verb
Date: 15th century
to mend, cover, or fill up a hole or weak spot in, to provide with a patch,
3. to make of patches or fragments, to mend or put together especially in hasty or shabby fashion, to apply a patch to (a computer program),
4. to connect (as circuits) by a patch cord, to connect (as a person or message) to a communication system especially temporarily , see: mend
III. noun
Etymology: perhaps by folk etymology from Italian dialect paccio
Date: 1549
fool , dolt