clientage

[klahy-uhn-tij]

noun

1. a body of clients; clientele.

2. Also clienthood the relationship of a client to a patron; dependency.

Word History and Origins

Origin of clientage¹

First recorded in 1625–35; client + -age

Example Sentences

This was the case until Saddam Hussein’s ruthless rise to power in the 1970s enshrined a system of sectarian-based clientage and a crackdown on Kurds and non-Arabs.

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And what slavery did at Rome for the very poor, the system of clientage did for those of a somewhat higher rank.

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He considered that with such a clientage his fortune was assured.

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But we have the greatest confidence that in time we shall thus be able to increase very greatly both the clientage and the usefulness of the university.

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Harvard is a complex and august institution, possessed of all the attractions which can be lent by age, tradition, learning, continually renewed resources, fortunate situation, widespread clientage, enthusiastic loyalty, and forceful guidance.

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Related Words

• audience 
• constituency