penates

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penates^¹

/pəˈnɑːtiːz/ UK
/pəˈnɑtiz/ US
/pəˈneɪtiz/ US

Rhymes with -eɪtiz

Where it comes from

From Latin penātēs, from penus (“inner part of house”). Displaced native Old English cōfgod.

noun

Roman, plural, plural only The household deities thought to watch over the houses and storerooms of ancient Rome. lest the name thereof being discovered unto their enemies, their Penates and Patronal Gods might be called forth by charms and incantations.
figuratively, plural, plural only Synonym of household deities in other contexts. ...and a china shepherd and shepherdess, clothed in "a green and yellow melancholy," were the penates of the mantel-piece.
Similar: household deities in other contexts

Penates^²

proper noun

plural plural of Penate

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Cite this

MLA

"penates." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/penates. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

penates. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/penates

Chicago

"penates." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/penates.

BibTeX

@misc{penates_2026,
  title = {penates},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/penates},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}