Both Uses of
patronize
in
Middlemarch
- A layman who pried into the professional conduct of medical men, and was always obtruding his reforms,—though he was less directly embarrassing to the two physicians than to the surgeon-apothecaries who attended paupers by contract, was nevertheless offensive to the professional nostril as such; and Dr. Minchin shared fully in the new pique against Bulstrode, excited by his apparent determination to patronize Lydgate.†
Chpt 2patronize = treat in a manner that demonstrates a sense of superiority, but is supposed to seem kind OR the actions of a patron (to support someone or something; or to be a customer)
- The eloquent auctioneer was seized with pneumonia, and having been a patient of Mr. Peacock's, sent for Lydgate, whom he had expressed his intention to patronize.†
Chpt 5 *
Definitions:
-
(1)
(patronize as in: Don't patronize me.) treat in a manner that demonstrates a sense of superiority, but is supposed to seem kind
or:
the actions of a patron (to support someone or something; or to be a customer) -
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rarely, patronize can mean to "give business to" as in "I don't patronize that restaurant because the owner is rude."