patronusEtymologyFrom Latin patrōnus (“protector”). A reference to J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series; the term first appears in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999). Doublet of padrone, patron, patroon, and pattern.nounA person considered one’s protector.“Black women are my patronus, and surrounding myself with villages of black women has been my biggest form of self-care.”Something associated with a person, usually an animal.“When I’ve got something good between my teeth, I shake it until it gives in. My Patronus is a terrier. It’s like I can see the glinting prize at the end of the race, far in the distance.”