lares and penates

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lar·es and penates

(lâr′ēz, lär′-)

pl.n.

Treasured household possessions.

[Partial translation of Latin Larēs et Penātēs, household gods : Larēs, pl. of Lār, Lar + et, and + Penātēs, Penates.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

lares and penates

(ˈlɛəriːz; ˈlɑː-)

pl n

1. (Classical Myth & Legend) Roman myth

a. household gods

b. statues of these gods kept in the home

2. the valued possessions of a household

[Latin]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

lar′es and pena′tes

n.pl.

the cherished possessions of a family or household.

[1765–75; < Latin Larēs(et)Penātēs]

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lares and penates

noun

One's portable property:

belonging (often used in plural), effect (used in plural), good (used in plural), personal effects, personal property, possession (used in plural), property, thing (often used in plural).

Informal: stuff.

Law: chattel, movable (often used in plural).

References in periodicals archive ?

Religion played a part in Horace's life--not the traditional religion of Rome, but recognition of the minor gods: Mercury, the god of culture, Venus, goddess of love, Bacchus, god of wine, and the household gods, the Lares and Penates. Eyres relates to this, swerving from traditional Christianity to Buddhism, which does not demand belief in any deity but seems to provide answers to anxiety in meditation and self-awareness.