| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| patroon |
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| SYLLABICATION: | pa·troon |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  p -tr n |
| NOUN: | A landholder in New Netherland who, under Dutch colonial rule, was granted proprietary and manorial rights to a large tract of land in exchange for bringing 50 new settlers to the colony. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Dutch, from French patron, patron, master, from Old French. See patron.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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