Patronage
[PEY-trə-nij]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, 14th century
1.
The support given by a patron.
2.
The regular business given to a store, restaurant, or public service by a person or group.
Examples of Patronage in a sentence
"He received enough patronage from the art gallery owner to be able to quit his day job and focus on painting."
"I love to go out to eat, but I try to give my patronage to locally owned restaurants."
About Patronage
Coming from Old French, "patron" referred to a protector or advocate (which goes back to the Latin "patronus" for "protector," and "pater" for "father"). Patronage became the support given by this patron. It can be economic support to a particular artist, for example, or it can be a group of customers loyal to a certain shop or restaurant.
Did you Know?
Today's primary usage of "patronage" is that of commercial support, and the origins of the words "patron" and "client" go back to ancient Rome with a similar but more formalized structure. Patricians, or upper-class Romans, were the patrons who supported the plebian, lower-class clients. In return, the clients provided many types of services and loyalty to their patrons.
