Search Result for "patronage": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (5)

1. the act of providing approval and support;
- Example: "his vigorous backing of the conservatives got him in trouble with progressives"
[syn: backing, backup, championship, patronage]

2. customers collectively;
- Example: "they have an upper class clientele"
[syn: clientele, patronage, business]

3. a communication that indicates lack of respect by patronizing the recipient;
[syn: condescension, disdain, patronage]

4. (politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support;

5. the business given to a commercial establishment by its customers;
- Example: "even before noon there was a considerable patronage"
[syn: trade, patronage]


VERB (2)

1. support by being a patron of;

2. be a regular customer or client of;
- Example: "We patronize this store"
- Example: "Our sponsor kept our art studio going for as long as he could"
[syn: patronize, patronise, patronage, support, keep going]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Patronage \Pa"tron*age\, n. [F. patronage. Cf. LL. patronaticum, and L. patronatus.] 1. Special countenance or support; favor, encouragement, or aid, afforded to a person or a work; as, the patronage of letters; patronage given to an author. [1913 Webster] 2. Business custom. [Commercial Cant] [1913 Webster] 3. Guardianship, as of a saint; tutelary care. --Addison. [1913 Webster] 4. The right of nomination to political office; also, the offices, contracts, honors, etc., which a public officer may bestow by favor. [1913 Webster] 5. (Eng. Law) The right of presentation to church or ecclesiastical benefice; advowson. --Blackstone. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Patronage \Pa"tron*age\, v. t. To act as a patron of; to maintain; to defend. [Obs.] --Shak. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

patronage n 1: the act of providing approval and support; "his vigorous backing of the conservatives got him in trouble with progressives" [syn: backing, backup, championship, patronage] 2: customers collectively; "they have an upper class clientele" [syn: clientele, patronage, business] 3: a communication that indicates lack of respect by patronizing the recipient [syn: condescension, disdain, patronage] 4: (politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support 5: the business given to a commercial establishment by its customers; "even before noon there was a considerable patronage" [syn: trade, patronage] v 1: support by being a patron of 2: be a regular customer or client of; "We patronize this store"; "Our sponsor kept our art studio going for as long as he could" [syn: patronize, patronise, patronage, support, keep going]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

104 Moby Thesaurus words for "patronage": abetment, administration, advocacy, advocating, advocation, aegis, aid, auspices, backing, benefaction, bias, boosting, business, care, carriage trade, certificate of character, championship, character, character reference, charge, charity, clientage, clientele, condescension, contempt, contumely, countenance, credential, cure, custodianship, custody, custom, deigning, disdain, encouragement, favor, favoritism, favors of office, financing, fosterage, good name, goodwill, governance, government, guardianship, guidance, hands, help, humiliation, interest, jurisdiction, keeping, letter of introduction, management, market, melon, ministry, nepotism, oversight, partiality, pastorage, pastorate, pastorship, patronizing, plum, political patronage, pork, pork barrel, pork-barreling, preference, promotion, protection, protectorship, public, purchasing public, recommend, recommendation, reference, repute, rural market, safe hands, scorn, seconding, spoils system, sponsorship, stewardship, stooping, subsidy, suburban market, superiority, support, sympathy, testimonial, trade, trading, traffic, tutelage, voucher, ward, wardenship, wardship, watch and ward, wing, youth market
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

PATRONAGE. The right of appointing to office; as the patronage of the president of the United States, if abused, may endanger the liberties of the people. 2. In the ecclesiastical law, it signifies the right of presentation to a church or ecclesiastical benefice. 2 Bl. Com. 21.