Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lares and penates

/ˌlɛɹiz ənd pɪˈnɑtiz/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.19 in modern English

Syllables: lares and pe-nates
IPA: /ˌlɛɹiz ənd pɪˈnɑtiz/

18

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The household deities of ancient Rome, respectively overseeing the family and its house and storerooms.

noun

One's prized possessions, considered as the protectors or symbols of one's household.

Example Sentences

"The particular gods of the household were its lares and penates."
"I am returned to my own Lares and Penates—to my dogs and cats."
"Dissenters came to South Carolina in the decade 1680-1690, some of them persons of means who might have brought with them their lares and penates."
"“Please understand me now—if it were nothing more than muffled tones and scars on your Aeolus's bellows there, merely some calcified foreign matter, then I would send you packing to rejoin your lares and penates, and not worry one white more about you.”"

Etymology

A calque of Latin lares et penates. See lar and penates.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: lares et penates

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌlɛɹiz ənd pɪˈnɑtiz/
British English: /ˌlɛəɹiːz ənd pɪˈnɑːtiːz/

Synonyms

household deity

Questions

How do you pronounce lares and penates?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌlɛɹiz ənd pɪˈnɑtiz/.
What does lares and penates mean?: The household deities of ancient Rome, respectively overseeing the family and its house and storerooms.
Where does lares and penates come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce lares and penates

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