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.
α 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. —
β 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.—
β 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.