lares and penates

American  

plural noun

1. Roman Religion. Lares and Penates, the benevolent spirits and gods of the household.

2. the cherished possessions of a family or household.

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lares and penates British  

/ ˈlɑː-, ˈlɛəriːz /

plural noun

1. Roman myth

   1. household gods

   2. statues of these gods kept in the home

2. the valued possessions of a household

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Etymology

Origin of lares and penates

1765–75; < Latin Larēs ( et ) Penātēs

Example Sentences

Her lares and penates range from Ella Fitzgerald to Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee.

From Time Magazine Archive

When morning came Barnickel and Katty were boxing up the lares and penates, and toward nightfall Mira herself was meekly, though not resignedly, bearing a hand.

From Under Fire by Cox, C. B.

You will always see in every cubicle, above every bed in a long hut, the girl's own private gallery, the lares and penates which make of her, in her bed at least, an individual.

From The Sword of Deborah First-hand impressions of the British Women's Army in France by Jesse, F. Tennyson (Fryniwyd Tennyson)

A few seconds later I had let myself in and was standing amongst my own lares and penates once more.

From Pharos, The Egyptian A Romance by Boothby, Guy

I decided to go and protect my lares and penates, trivial though they might be.

From Kitty's Conquest by King, Charles