patroon
/pəˈtruːn/
noun
- A landowner in the Dutch colonies of New Netherland (now New York) who held large estates with feudal rights.
- The old manor house was once the home of a powerful patroon.
- The patroon system in colonial New York gave wealthy landowners great power over their tenants.
- A patroon could establish a settlement and control its trade and justice.
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