1. One that supports, protects, or champions someone or something, such as an institution, event, or cause; a sponsor or benefactor: a patron of the arts.
2. A customer, especially a regular customer.
3. (also pä-trōn') The owner or manager of an establishment, especially a restaurant or an inn of France or Spain.
4. 1. A noble or wealthy person in ancient Rome who granted favor and protection to someone in exchange for certain services.
   2. A slave owner in ancient Rome who freed a slave without relinquishing all legal claim to him.
5. One who possesses the right to grant an ecclesiastical benefice to a member of the clergy.
6. A patron saint.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin patrōnus, from Latin, from pater, patr-, father.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.