Patroness
noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A female patron goddess or saint.
"And Night, the patronesse of love-stealth fayre, / Gave them safe conduct, till to end they came."
- 2 a woman who is a patron or the wife of a patron wordnet
- 3 A woman who sponsors or supports a given activity, person etc.; a female patron. broadly, dated
"If I buy a ticket for a Flower Show, or a Music Show, or any sort of Show, and pay pretty heavy for it, why am I to be Patroned and Patronessed as if the Patrons and Patronesses treated me?"
- 1 To support or sponsor as a patroness.
"If I buy a ticket for a Flower Show, or a Music Show, or any sort of Show, and pay pretty heavy for it, why am I to be Patroned and Patronessed as if the Patrons and Patronesses treated me?"
Example
More examples"Madame de Pompadour was a patroness of the arts."
Etymology
From Middle English patronesse, from Late Latin patronissa, from Classical Latin patrōnus; equivalent to patron + -ess.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.