Penates
or pe·na·tes
[puh-ney-teez, -nah-]
- gods who watched over the home or community to which they belonged: originally, two deities of the storeroom.
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Compare Lares.
Origin of Penates
1505–15; < Latin Penātēs, akin to penus stock of provisions
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for penates
Contemporary Examples
Thank the Lares and Penates that Howard Fast wrote Spartacus for similar reasons.
Historical Examples
Hamersley recognises them as part of the penates of his late host.
The Lone RancheCaptain Mayne Reid
The Penates of the city were above all the emperor and his family.
Pompeii, Its Life and ArtAugust Mau
We will set up our Lares and Penates in its very centerahem!
Three Little Women's SuccessGabrielle E. Jackson
Hence, his appeal to the female Penates took this constricted form.
Cradock Nowell, Vol. 2 (of 3)Richard Doddridge Blackmore
The Penates, Mr. Warde Fowler tells us, were the spirits of the foods.
Comparative ReligionJ. Estlin Carpenter
penates
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Word Origin
Latin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for penates
n.
Roman household gods, 1510s, from Latin penates "gods of the inside of the house," related to penatus "sanctuary of a temple" (especially that of Vesta), cognate with penitus "within" (see penetrate).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper