Penates
plural noun
gods who watched over the home or community to which they belonged: originally, two deities of the storeroom.
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Penates
American
[puh-nay-teez, -nah-]
/ pəˈneɪ tiz, -ˈnɑ- /
Or
penates
plural noun
Roman Religion.
penates
British
/ pəˈnɑːtiːz /
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of Penates
1505–15; < Latin Penātēs, akin to penus stock of provisions
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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Every Roman family had a Lar, who was the spirit of an ancestor, and several Penates, gods of the hearth and guardians of the storehouse.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
The most prominent and revered of them all were the Lares and Penates.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
There were also public Lares and Penates, who did for the city what the others did for the family.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
She came to me in the little room, where I kept my books and Penates, and laid her hand upon my shoulder.
From Mr. Marx's Secret by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
The Penates of Troy had appeared at night to Anchi´ses, and revealed to him that Italy was the land allotted by the Fates to the exiled Trojans.
From The Student's Mythology A Compendium of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Hindoo, Chinese, Thibetian, Scandinavian, Celtic, Aztec, and Peruvian Mythologies by Catherine Ann White
In addition, the penates, figurines of household gods, were put on the dining table during meals and worshipped as protectors of the home.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
Her lares and penates range from Ella Fitzgerald to Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee.
From Time Magazine Archive
Marcus and I sat on a garden bench and he enthused about Jerusalem: “So unlike Rome, so much more oriental—can it be we are free of our penates here?”
From Voices from the Past by Paul Alexander Bartlett
No other deities are described in detail by Prescott, but he says that every household had its "penates," or household gods.
From Ancient Faiths And Modern A Dissertation upon Worships, Legends and Divinities by Thomas Inman
All the inhabitants have fled, leaving their lares and penates just as the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum sought to flee when the lava came down on them.
From A Woman's Experience in the Great War by Louise Mack
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