An associate, often an otherwise improbable one.
One with whom one shares a bed.
A padrone.
A guardian or intercessor; synonym of patron saint.
One who protects or supports; a defender or advocate.
An influential, wealthy person who supported an artist, craftsman, a scholar or a noble.
A customer, as of a certain store or restaurant.
A protector of a dependent, especially a master who had freed a slave but still retained some paternal rights.
One who has gift and disposition of a benefice.