PATRONAGE

n. 1 sponsorship, support, backing, promotion, encouragement, boosting, aid, help, sympathy, financing, auspices, protection, guardianship, aegis The exhibition was organized with the duke's patronage 2 trade, business, custom, trading, traffic The shop could never succeed with our patronage 3 condescension, disdain, scorn, contempt, contumely, superiority, patronizing, stooping, deigning, humiliation There is an air of patronage about him when he finally does allow me a visit 4 favouritism, partiality, preference, bias, nepotism, political patronage, granting of indulgences, US spoils (system) Politicians have always used patronage to reward support