Patroon

//pəˈtɹuːn// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    One of the landowning Dutch grandees of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, especially after it became a British possession renamed as New York. US

    "Dr. Tucker accompanied us on our return; and we made a call on General Van Rensselaer. He is the Patroon, or Lord of the Manor here; and is considered the greatest landholder in the United States."

Example

More examples

"Dr. Tucker accompanied us on our return; and we made a call on General Van Rensselaer. He is the Patroon, or Lord of the Manor here; and is considered the greatest landholder in the United States."

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch patroon (“patron saint; boss”), from Middle Dutch patroon, from Latin patrōnus (“protector; patron”). Doublet of padrone, patron, Patronus, and pattern.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.