English
patron
Patron comes from Latin patrōnus ‘a protector, patron’, from pater ‘father’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- ‘to protect, to ward’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peh₂-1‘to protect, to ward’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ph₂tḗr1‘father’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*patēr1‘father’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpater2‘father’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpatrōnus2‘a protector, patron’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400patron2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500patroun2
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592patron2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin pater
- 2 Wiktionary, English patron
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “patron of my life and liberty”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peh₂-Wiktionary, Latin pater‘to protect, to ward’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ph₂tḗrWiktionary, Latin pater‘father’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*patērWiktionary, Latin pater‘father’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpaterWiktionary, English patron‘father’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpatrōnusWiktionary, English patron‘a protector, patron’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400patronWiktionary, English patron
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500patrounWiktionary, English patron
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592patronWiktionary, English patron. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “patron of my life and liberty”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- ‘to protect, to ward’
food, company, pain, feed, pope, foster, apparent, fur, pastor, companion, fodder, fad, penetration, pasture, forage, papal, accompaniment, panini, fatherly, pav, patrician, pannier, pantaloons, 57 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr ‘father’
through Latin pater ‘father’
papa, perpetrator, paternity, paternal, padre, perpetrate, compere, pater, patrimony, 17 more
through Old French patron
Today it means
noun One who protects or supports; a defender or advocate.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “patron”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin pater. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- / patron