Agency Dictionary
Patron
nounPronunciation: /ˈpeɪ.trən/
In Portuguese: Mecenas
Arts, Music & Media
History & CivilizationsWhat does “Patron” mean?
A person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause, or activity, especially in the arts, literature, and intellectual scholarship.
Etymology
From Middle English patroun, from Old French patron, from Latin patronus (protector, one who stands like a father over another), derived from pater (father). The image is of a figure who exercises a father's authority and protection over dependents. The word is a doublet of pattern and padrone, all tracing to the same Latin root.
Usage note
In historical and arts contexts, a patron provides financial or social support to an artist or institution in exchange for recognition, dedication, or loyalty. In a business context, patron simply means a regular customer.
Synonyms
- benefactor
- sponsor
- supporter
- backer
- philanthropist
Word family
- patronize
- patronage
- patroness
- patronizing
- patronal
Rhymes with
- matron
Usage examples
Well, some of them came from noble backgrounds, some had patrons, and others had undeniable talent, there are even artists who are only recognized postmortem, can you imagine?
Concepts
- Artistic PatronageArtistic patronage is the financial, social, and institutional support bestowed by monarchs, popes, wealthy aristocrats, or modern corporate foundations upon artists…
- Posthumous RecognitionPosthumous recognition is the widespread social, academic, or commercial acclaim granted to an artist, writer, philosopher, or scientist only after their physical death…
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
- shogunatenoun
- A feudal military dictatorship in Japan, headed by a shogun, in which loyalty and honour were central to its operation. The system was exclusive to Japan and did not exist in other Asian nations.
- eppur si muoveother
- An Italian phrase meaning and yet it moves. It is used to affirm that a fact remains true no matter who denies it.
- iconnoun
- A simplified image that represents a thing by resembling it. In semiotics, a sign that signifies through likeness; in digital interfaces, a small picture that stands for an object or a function.
- symbolismnoun
- The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities, and the set of meanings that a form, an image or an object carries beyond its literal sense.
- Paleolithicadjective
- Relating to the Old Stone Age, the earliest and longest period of human prehistory, marked by chipped stone tools and, in its later phase, by the first cave paintings.
- samurainoun
- A member of the warrior class of feudal Japan, bound by codes of loyalty and honour, who served under the shogunate system. In the article, the samurai class is one of the two groups with access to Noh theatre.
- aestheticsnoun
- A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, artistic taste, and style.
- Agoranoun
- A public open space in ancient Greek cities used for assemblies, commercial markets, and philosophical dialogue.
- Alchemistnoun
- A practitioner of alchemy, seeking to transmute base metals into noble elements and discover a universal cure.
- amphitheatrenoun
- An oval or circular open-air venue with tiered seating used in the Roman world for gladiatorial contests, beast hunts, and public executions.
- aqueductnoun
- An engineered conduit or bridge designed to convey water from distant freshwater springs into urban centers using gravity flow.
- Audiobooknoun
- An audio recording of the narration of a book, enabling listening through digital playback devices.
Also from these editions: terms
- Assistantnoun
- A person or computational software program that provides aid, support, or automated services to facilitate work and handle routine tasks.
- Databasenoun
- A structured, organized collection of digitized data stored electronically in a computer system and accessible through various retrieval and querying mechanisms.
- Failurenoun
- The state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, performance standard, or operational expectation.
- Fictionnoun
- Literature in the form of prose, especially novels and short stories, that describes imaginary events, characters, and scenarios not strictly based on historical facts.
- Generativeadjective
- Having the power, capability, or functional property of originating, producing, generating, or synthesizing new content, information, or biological life.
- Interviewnoun
- A structured conversation where one participant asks questions and the other provides answers, conducted for journalistic publication, academic research, or employment assessment.
- Ironynoun
- The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. Also, a state of affairs that is contrary to what one expects.
- Poemnoun
- A piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits formal elements such as meter and rhyme.
- Prejudicenoun
- A preconceived opinion or unfavorable judgment that is not based on actual reason, knowledge, or direct experience, often directed against particular groups, ideas, or practices.
- Robotnoun
- A machine, especially one programmable by a computer, capable of carrying out a complex series of physical actions or automated computational operations autonomously or semi-autonomously.
- Talentnoun
- Natural aptitude, exceptional skill, or superior innate capacity for a specific craft, artistic expression, intellectual inquiry, or physical performance.
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