The system or practice of patron-client relationships; a network of clients dependent on a patron.
From 'client' (Latin 'cliens') + '-ela' (Latin suffix) + '-age' (French-influenced noun suffix). This formal term preserves the Romance language layering showing French adaptation of Latin vocabulary.
Historians love the word 'clientelage' because it captures the entire Roman social machine—wealthy elites built power not through corporations or bureaucracies but through personal networks of dependent clients, making loyalty the currency of ancient politics.
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