The word 'patera' has various meanings:

• A patera was a broad, shallow dish used for drinking, primarily in a ritual context such as a libation.

• Patera (pl. paterae) is used in planetary geology to refer to shallow craters with irregular, sometimes scalloped rims.

• In the Spanish language, a patera is a type of boat. In current usage it refers to any of the floating devices used by African people smugglers to transport illegal immigrants from Africa to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands or across the Strait of Gibraltar to Andalusia. The poor state of the boats, overcrowding, and lack of sea experience often result in massive drownings. Patera operators have been known to intentionally throw their passengers overboard if they need to flee the coast guard.