Lares and Penates
Preserved but no longer current.
Used as a collective ex- Eression for home, and for those personal elongmgs that make home homely and individual. In ancient Rome the lares (sing. lar) were the household gods, usually deified ancestors or heroes; the penates were also guardian deities of the household (and the State), but were more in the nature of personi- fications of the natural powers, their duty being to bring wealth and plenty rather than to protect and ward off danger.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Lares and Penates” mean?
Used as a collective ex- Eression for home, and for those personal elongmgs that make home homely and individual. In ancient Rome the lares (sing. lar) were the household gods, usually deified ancestors or heroes; the penates were also guardian deities of the household (and the State), but were more in the nature of personi- fications of the natural powers, their duty being to bring wealth and plenty rather than to protect and ward off danger.
Is “Lares and Penates” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.