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Glite Dictionary
patroon

patroon

1 9.9
A wealthy landowner in early New York under Dutch rule who owned large farms and had power over settlers
  • noun
  • /pəˈtruːn/
  • Archaic
translation icon : patrón
  • The last of eight generations of land-owning patroons, Van Rensselaer had been a commissioner overseeing the construction of the Erie and Champlain canals, which opened in 1825.
  • patroon Kiliaen van Rensselaer
  • Albany Patroons
  • Dutch patroons

Examples

  • During the colonial era, a patroon held political influence and shaped the development of New Amsterdam.

  • The patroon provided land to settlers, granting them the right to farm and build homes in the territory.

  • They followed the patroon's commands to return to the bow for each new set.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Manor lord and patroon Kiliaen van Rensselaer warned his nephew.

    Academic text (2010)

  • What about the talk concerning Arnold's business dealings with Robert Livingston and other New York business patroons?

    Fiction book (1994)

  • As a wealthy patroon, he controlled large estates that benefited from the labor of tenant farmers.

Surface Forms

patroon singular
patroons plural

Etymology

Patroon comes from Dutch patroon, which comes from Latin patronus meaning 'protector' or 'patron', and it is like the English word patron. So a patroon was a powerful landowner who acted like a 'patron' to settlers, which explains its meaning in colonial New York.