patron
Definitions
A person who gives financial or other support to an artist, organization, or cause.
赞助人，资助者。
A regular customer of a shop, restaurant, or other business.
老主顾，常客。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedpatr (father) at the core: a Roman patronus was a powerful man who played a father-figure to weaker people, protecting and supporting them. That "fatherly protector" sense gives us both modern meanings — the patron who funds an artist, and the loyal patron a business relies on.
Root patr still carries 26 more wordsWhy It Means This
Why does one word mean both "sponsor" and "customer"? Both descend from the patron-as-protector idea. A patron of the arts protects an artist with money; a patron of a pub protects it by keeping it in business. The common thread is dependable support flowing from a stronger party to something it sustains.
Common Collocations
- 1.patron of the arts艺术赞助人
- 2.loyal patron忠实顾客
- 3.wealthy patron富有的赞助人
- 4.regular patron常客
Example Sentences
- 1.
The museum thanked its wealthy patrons at the annual gala.
- 2.
Regular patrons get a free coffee on their birthday.
- 3.
She became a patron of several young painters.
Easily Confused
patron vs sponsor — a sponsor usually pays for a specific event or person and expects publicity in return; a patron gives broader, often personal support to an art form or institution, with prestige rather than advertising as the motive.