padrone means A patron; a protector. It carries an Arena rating of 1512, earned across 91 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, padrone ranks #4,146 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #4,637 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #4,995 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #5,183 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
Why “padrone” is a great word
PADRONE — [Noun] A master, owner, or patron, especially one who holds direct authority over workers, a household, or a vessel. From Italian padrone ("master, owner"), from Latin patronus ("protector, patron"). First attested in English 1660–70. Unlike "patron," which suggests a supportive benefactor, or "landlord," which denotes an owner of rented property, *padrone* implies a more personal and encompassing dominion. It is the heavy ring of keys on his belt, the shadow cast across the immigrant laborer's ledger, and the still, commanding voice that hushes the clamor of a ship's deck—a sovereignty where authority is rendered as a fact of landscape, as intimate and inescapable as weather.
Etymology
From Italian padrone, from Latin patronus. Doublet of patron, Patronus, patroon, and pattern.
noun
- A patron; a protector.e.g.“She had not the slightest intention of keeping the promises she had made to the padrone; she had resolved to lie stoutly as far as was necessary to make good her own and Beppo's escape.” — 1878, Aadel Barnes Gustafson, “Beppo”, in Sunday Afternoon, volume 2, page 174:
- A landlord; the master of a large estate.e.g.“Dominedio! O Riverenza! how sadly must Ser Giovanni, my poor padrone, have lost his memory in this cruel long illness!” — 1889, Walter Savage Landor, Havelock Ellis, The Pentameron: And Other Imaginary Conversations, page 89:
- The master of a small coaster in the Mediterranean.
- A man who imports, and controls the earnings of, Greek or Italian labourers, street musicians, child beggars, etc.
- A mafia boss.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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