[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

patronage \pa"tronage\, 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

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

patronage \pa"tronage\, v. t.
   to act as a patron of; to maintain; to defend. obs. --shak.
   1913 webster

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

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
     2: customers collectively; "they have an upper class clientele"
        syn: clientele, business
     3: a communication that indicates lack of respect by
        patronizing the recipient syn: condescension, disdain
     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
     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, support, keep
        going
see also:
backing backup championship clientele business condescension 
disdain trade patronize patronise support 
keep going 

[4] : 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

[5] : 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. 

Patronage >> P Words
Patronage, definition of term: Patronage
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