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Topic: Patron & patronize

A listener asked how, if at all, did the actions of a patron come to influence the development of the word patronize? We don't want to presume, but we would guess that the occasional patron acted a bit too big for his or her britches. Let's look at the word history.

When patron entered English in the 14th century, it named a person chosen, named, or honored as a special guardian, protector, or supporter. That makes sense, since patron has an ancestor in the Medieval Latin patronus, meaning "patron saint"; "patron of a benefice." The protective and helpful senses of patron, such as the one naming "a person who uses wealth or influence to help an individual, institution, or cause," and the patron naming "one who buys the goods or uses the services offered especially by an establishment," soon followed.

Then there's patronize. The original, still-used sense of patronize meant "to act as a patron of"; "favor"; "protect"; "support." Way back when, and up until the late 18th century, patronize also meant "defend"; at one time, patronize upon meant "lay responsibility for." But as those senses faded from usage, patronize took on a darker tone: "to adopt an air of superiority and condescension toward." Then, in the early 19th century, patronize developed its most recent sense: "to trade or deal with habitually."

Questions or comments? Write us at wftw@aol.com Production and research support for Word for the Wise comes from Merriam-Webster, publisher of language reference books and Web sites including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.

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