Why this word is great
PATROON — [Noun] A landowning Dutch aristocrat granted feudal privileges in the colony of New Netherland, later New York. From Dutch patroon ("patron saint; boss"), from Middle Dutch patroon, from Latin patrōnus ("protector; patron"). Doublet of patron, padrone, and pattern. Unlike "patron" (a diffuse benefactor) or "landlord" (a mere rent-collector), a patroon was a minor sovereign—his name etched on deeds, his tenants bound to his mills, his silhouette cast long over the Hudson by the setting sun. It is the creak of a windmill grinding grain he will tax, the rustle of beaver pelts stacked for his profit, the quiet fury of tenants kneeling to kiss his ring—power distilled into a single, unanswerable word.