Patron1. (n.) One who protects, supports, or countenances; a defender.
2. (n.) A master who had freed his slave, but still retained some paternal rights over him.
3. (n.) A man of distinction under whose protection another person placed himself.
4. (n.) An advocate or pleader.
5. (n.) One who encourages or helps a person, a cause, or a work; a furtherer; a promoter; as, a patron of art.
6. (n.) One who has gift and disposition of a benefice.
7. (n.) A guardian saint. -- called also patron saint.
8. (n.) See Padrone, 2.
9. (v. t.) To be a patron of; to patronize; to favor.
10. (a.) Doing the duty of a patron; giving aid or protection; tutelary.
Thesaurus Entries
Dionysus, Maecenas, OD, Samaritan, Santa Claus, abettor, admirer, advocate, aficionado, aid, aider, almoner, almsgiver, angel, apologist, assignor, assister, attender, audience, awarder, backer, befriender, benefactor, benefactress, benefiter, bestower, boatswain, booster, boss, buff, buyer, bwana, captain, caterer, champion, chandler, cheerful giver, chef, chief, chief engineer, chief mate, church dignitary, client, commander, commissariat, commissary, conferrer, consignor, contributor, customer, deck officer, defender, dependence, donator, donor, ecclesiarch, elder, employer, encourager, endorser, exponent, fairy godmother, fan, favorer, feoffor, financer, frequenter, friend, friend at court, funder, furnisher, giver, good Samaritan, good person, goodman, grantor, grubstaker, guarantor, guardian angel, guru, habitue, haunter, help, helper, helping hand, husband, imparter, jack-at-a-pinch, lady bountiful, liege, liege lord, lord, lord paramount, lover, mainstay, maintainer, manciple, mark, master, mate, meal ticket, merchant, ministering angel, ministrant, naval officer, navigating officer, navigator, overlord, padrone, paramount, paranymph, partisan, paterfamilias, patriarch, patroness, philanthropist, pillar, pipes, presenter, promoter, prospect, protagonist, protector, protectress, provider, provisioner, purchaser, purveyor, quartermaster, rabbi, regular, regular customer, reliance, retailer, rock, safekeeper, sahib, sailing master, second, second mate, seconder, sectary, seigneur, seignior, settler, shipmaster, sider, skipper, spectator, sponsor, staker, stalwart, standby, starets, steward, stock clerk, storekeeper, subscriber, succorer, sucker, sugar daddy, supplier, support, supporter, surety, sustainer, sutler, sympathizer, teacher, testate, testator, testatrix, the Old Man, theatergoer, tower, tower of strength, upholder, victualer, visitor, vivandier, votary, vouchsafer, watch officer, well-wisher