Clientele

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: [klaɪ.n̩ˈtɛl]

Definitions

1. The group of customers or patrons who regularly do business with a particular shop, professional, or establishment
2. A specific group of individuals who consistently engage with a service provider or business for their needs
3. The collective of consumers who typically seek services or products from a particular vendor or organization

Etymology: The Latin "cliens" originally meant a dependent or follower: in ancient Rome, a client was a person who placed himself under the protection of a wealthy patron, offering loyalty and support in return for legal and social backing. The word carried that sense of a relationship of obligation rather than a simple transaction. It passed into French as "clientèle," which took on the collective meaning of a patron's whole body of clients, and English borrowed that French form. Over time the sense moved away from the Roman patron-and-dependent bond toward the customers who regularly come to a shop, lawyer, or firm. The word, in other words, kept the idea of a loyal, ongoing group of people tied to someone who serves them, while losing the formal hierarchy that once defined it.

Synonyms: customers, clients, patrons