1. Lăres — Lewis & Short
Lăres (old form † Lăses, Inscr. Fratr. Arval.; cf.
Varr. L. L. 6, § 2 Müll.), um and ĭum (Larum, Varr. L. L. 5, § 49 Müll.; Cic. Rep. 5, 5, 7; id. N. D. 3, 25, 63; id. Leg. 2, 8, 19; Inscr. Orell. 961:I
Larium,Liv. 40, 52), m. old Lat. Lases; Etrusc. Laran, Lalan; root las-; cf. lascivus, tutelar deities, Lares, belonging orig. to the Etruscan religion, and worshipped especially as the presiders over and protectors of a particular locality (cf. Otfr. Müll. Etrusc. 2, p. 90 sq.):
praestites,the tutelar deities of an entire city, Ov. F. 5, 129 sq.:
mille Lares geniumque ducis, qui tradidit illos, urbs habet,id. ib. 5, 145:
Puteolanae civitatis,Inscr. Orell. 1670:
civitatum, Inscr. ap. Grut. p. 10, 2: vicorum,Arn. 3, 41:
rurales, Inscr. ap. Grut. p. 251: compitales,of cross - roads, Suet. Aug. 31; called also Lares compitalicii, Philarg. ad Verg. G. 2, 381:
viales,worshipped by the road-side, Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 24:
permarini,tutelar deities of the sea, Liv. 40, 52: caelipotentes, Inscr. ap. Tert. de Spect. 5.—Sing.:
Lari viali,Inscr. Orell. 1762; 1894:
eundem esse Genium et Larem, multi veteres memoriae prodiderunt,Censor. 3, 2.—
II Most commonly the Lares (as familiares or domestici), the tutelar deities of a house, household gods, domestic Lares (whose images stood on the hearth in a little shrine, aedes, or in a small chapel, lararium); as the tutelar deities of each particular dwelling, also in sing.: Lar, Laris, m.
(a) In plur.:
rem divinam facere Laribus familiaribus,Plaut. Rud. 5, 1, 17:
sanctis Penatium deorum Larumque familiarium sedibus,Cic. Rep. 5, 5, 7; id. Quint. 27 fin.:
ad aedem Larum,id. N. D. 3, 25, 63:
immolet aequis porcum Laribus,Hor. S. 2, 3, 164:
Laribus tuum Miscet numen,id. C. 4, 5, 34. —
(b) In sing.:
ego Lar sum familiaris, ex hac familia,Plaut. Aul. prol. 2:
haec imponuntur in foco nostro dari,id. ib. 2, 8, 16:
familiae Lar pater, alium Larem persequi,id. Merc. 5, 1, 5 sq.—
B Meton., a hearth, dwelling, home (class.; usually in sing.):
larem corona nostrum decorari volo,Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 1:
relinquent larem familiarem suum?Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 11, § 27:
ad suum larem familiarem redire,id. ib. 2, 3, 54, §
125: nobis larem familiarem nusquam ullum esse?Sall. C. 20:
paternus,Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 51:
patrius,id. S. 1, 2, 56; cf.:
avitus apto Cum lare fundus,id. C. 1, 12, 43:
gaudens lare certo,id. Ep. 1, 7, 58:
parvo sub lare,id. C. 3, 29, 14:
conductus,Mart. 11, 82, 2:
deserere larem,to abandon one's home, Ov. F. 1, 478:
pelli lare,to be driven from a place, id. ib. 6, 362:
alumnus laris Antenorei,i. e. of the city of Padua, Mart. 1, 77, 2: ob eam rem tibi Lare commercioque interdico, Vet. Formul. ap. Paul. Sent. 3, 4, 7.—
(b) In plur., Ov. R. Am. 302:
jussa pars mutare lares,Hor. C. S. 39.—Poet., of a bird's nest:
avis in ramo tecta laremque parat,Ov. F. 3, 242:
cum rapit Halcyones miserae fetumque laremque,Val. Fl. 4, 45.