Patens
PAH-tens · /ˈpɑː.tɛnz/ · two syllables, stress on the first
The pa sounds like the first syllable of father — an open ah, not the flatter pa of patent. The tens rhymes with lens.
If you slowed down the English word patens — the plural of paten, the thin metal plate held under the chalice in a communion service — you'd land in roughly the same place. Same etymology too.
What it means
Patens is Latin — the present participle of patēre, "to lie open" or "to be exposed". From the same root: patent (an open letter granting a right), patent (the adjective: clear, evident), and the surgical-textbook word patency, meaning unobstructed. A patens vein is one with the lumen open.
Why the name fits
Open source MIT. Open audit — every finding is explained in plain English, no opaque warnings. Open canvas — every glyph contour is editable, every Bézier handle reachable. Open distribution — the OTF you build leaves your browser cleanly, no DRM, no account, no export quota. The work is laid open while you do it.
Trivia. The Latin verb patēre is also the root of "patio" — an outdoor space lying open to the sky.