WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
pa•dro•ne
(pə drō′nē, -nā; It. pä drô′ne),USA pronunciation n., pl. -nes
(-nēz, -nāz),USA pronunciation It. -ni
(-nē).USA pronunciation
pa•dro•nism
(pə drō′niz əm),USA pronunciation n.
- a master; boss.
- an employer, esp. of immigrant laborers, who provides communal housing and eating arrangements, controls the allocation of pay, etc., in a manner that exploits the workers.
- an innkeeper.
- Italian; see patron
- 1660–70