From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Patio \Pa"ti*o\ (p[aum]"t[-e]*[-o]), noun [Sp., a court] (Metal) A paved yard or floor where ores are cleaned and sorted, or where ore, salt, mercury, etc., are trampled by horses, to effect intermixture and amalgamation.
Note: The patio process is used to reduce silver ores by amalgamation.
2. In Spain, Spanish America, etc., a court or courtyard of a house or other building; esp., an inner court open to the sky. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
3. (p[a^]t"[-e]*[=o]') A usually paved area adjacent to a dwelling, used for outdoor lounging, dining, receptions of guests, etc. [PJC]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence [syn: {terrace}]
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