1. • noun - the act of providing approval and support
   • noun - customers collectively
   • noun - a communication that indicates lack of respect by patronizing the recipient
   • noun - (politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support
   • noun - the business given to a commercial establishment by its customers
   • verb - support by being a patron of
   • verb - be a regular customer or client of
2. • Support, encouragement, or championship, as of a person, an institution, an event, or a cause, from a patron.
   • Support or encouragement proffered in a condescending manner: It seems our little establishment has finally been deemed worthy of the bank’s patronage.
   • The trade given to a commercial establishment by its customers: Shopkeepers thanked Christmas shoppers for their patronage.
   • Customers or patrons considered as a group; clientele: The grand old hotel has a loyal but demanding patronage.
   • The power to distribute or appoint people to governmental or political positions.
   • The act of distributing or appointing people to such positions.
   • The positions so distributed or filled.
   • The right to grant an ecclesiastical benefice to a member of the clergy.

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