1
archaic
: the captain or officer commanding a ship
2
[Dutch, from French patron]
: the proprietor of a manorial estate especially in New York originally granted under Dutch rule but in some cases existing until the mid-19th century
Examples of patroon in a Sentence
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Nicholas is a patroon—that is, a landowner descended from New York’s seventeenth-century Dutch settlers, who, in this period, were still allowed to run their estates on a quasi-feudal system.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2023
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Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near patroon
Cite this Entry
“Patroon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patroon. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
patroon
noun
pa·troon
pə-ˈtrün 
: a landowner of a large estate in New York or New Jersey granted by the Dutch
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