Patron

patron | ˈpātr(ə)n | noun 1 a person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause, or activity 2 a customer, especially a regular one, of a store, restaurant, or theater 3 Roman history (in ancient Rome) a patrician in relation to a client. 4 British English, mainly historical a person or institution with the right to grant a benefice to a member of the clergy. 5 short for patron saint

Latin patronus ‘protector of clients, defender’, from pater, patr- ‘father’.