padrone
A patron; a protector.
She had not the slightest intention of keeping the promises she had made to the padrone; she had resolved to lie stoutly as far as was necessary to make good her own and Beppo's escape.
A landlord; the master of a large estate.
Dominedio! O Riverenza! how sadly must Ser Giovanni, my poor padrone, have lost his memory in this cruel long illness!
The master of a small coaster in the Mediterranean.
The poor padrone or captain, in his red-tasselled cap, dingy-velvet jacket, and open-kneed breeches, had no sooner contrived to scramble up the side and reach teh quarter-deck, followed by a grinning midshipman, than he gave vent to all sorts of gesticulations and protestations explanatory of his having unfortunately mistaken the British ship for a French one.
A man who imports, and controls the earnings of, Greek or Italian labourers, street musicians, child beggars, etc.
But the padrone does not employ the men alone and upon his own responsibility . He works together with the Italian banker, who is a somewhat more responsible party than the padrone; at least the men have more faith in him, because it is through him that they send money back to Italy, and with whom they keep their small savings.
Where it comes from
From Italian padrone, from Latin patronus. Doublet of patron, Patronus, patroon, and pattern.
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry padrone (CC BY-SA 4.0).