Lewis & Short

păter, tris (old gen PATRVS. Inscr Corp. Lat. 1469; dat PATRE, ib 182), m. [Sanscr. root pā, to nourish, protect; Lat. pasco; hence, Zend, patar, protector; Gr. πατηρ; Sanscr pitri; Engl. father; Germ. Vater], a father, sire.

  1. I. Lit. Aes. Ehem, pater mi, tu hic eras? De Tuus hercle vero et animo et patura pater, Ter. Ad. 5, 7, 3: patre certo nasci, Cic. Rosc. Am. 16, 46: Servius Tullius captivā Corniculanā natus, patre nullo, matre servā, i. e. by an unknown father, Liv. 4, 3: SI PATER FILIVM TER VENVM DVIT FILIVS A PATRE LIBER ESTO, Lex XII. Tab.: CORNELIVS SCIPIO BARBATVS GNAIVOD PATRE PROGNATVS, Epit. of the Scipios: ego a patre ita eram deductus, by my father, Cic. Lael. 1, 1: aliquem patris loco colere debere, id. Phil. 2, 38, 99.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. The father as head and rep resentative of the household, esp., paterfamilias and paterfamiliae: pauci milites patresque familiae recepti, Caes. B. C. 2, 44: quemeunque patrem familiae arripuissetis, Cic. de Or. 1, 43; v. familia.
    2. B. In plur.: patres, fathers, forefathers: patrum nostrorum aetas, Cic. Or. 5, 18: memoria patrum, id. de Or. 1, 40, 181: apud patres nostros, id. Off. 3, 11, 47: patres majoresque nostri, id. Div. in Caecil. 21, 69: Dominus Deus patrum vestrorum, Vulg Exod 3, 15: descenderunt patres tui in Aegyptum, id. Deut. 10, 22.
      So in sing (eccl. Lat.): dixitque Jacob; Deus patris mei Abraham, etc., Vulg. Gen. 32, 9: quod juravit ad Abra. ham patrem nostrūm, id. Luc. 1, 73.
    3. C. PATRES for parentes, parents, Inscr. Grut. 707, 5; 656, 2; 692, 1; 704, 1.
    4. D. As a title of honor, father.
      Of a deity, esp. of Jupiter: divum pater atque hominum rex, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 179 Vahl.); cf.: pater optime Olimpi, id. ap. Oros. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 198 ib.): ipse pater mediā nimborum in nocte coruscā Fulmina molitur dextrā, Verg. G. 1, 328: Gradivumque patrem Geticis qui praesidet arvis, id. A. 3, 35: pater Lemnius, i. e. Vulcan, id. ib. 8, 454: Bacche pater, Hor. C. 3, 3, 13; cf. Lenaeus, i. e. Bacchus, Verg. G. 2, 7: pater Silvane, Hor. Epod. 2, 21: Quirine pater, Enn. ap. Non. 120, 1 (Ann. v. 121 Vahl.): pater Tiberine, id. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 55 ib.); of the Tiber, Liv. 2, 10: Apenninus, Verg. A. 12, 703 Wagner: pater Aeneas, id. ib. 1, 699.
      Of the creative or generative powers of nature as deities: pater Aether, Lucr. 1, 250: aequoreus, i. e. Ocean, Col. poët. 10, 200.
      As an honorable designation applied to senators: principes, qui appellati sunt propter caritatem patres, Cic. Rep. 2, 8, 14: patres ab honore patriciique progenies eorum appellati, Liv. 1, 8.
      Hence, patres = patricii, opp. to plebeii: quā re ad patres censeo revertare: plebeii quam fuerint importuni, vides, Cic. Fam. 9, 21, 3 fin.: patres conscripti, v. conscribo: pater patrum, pater sacrorum, pater nomimus, the title given to the high-priest of Mithras, Inscr. Grut. 28, 2; 315, 5; 1102, 2; Inscr. Orell. 5059: patratus, v. h. v. under patro, P. a.
      Of the founder of a school: Zeno, pater Stoicorum, Cic. N. D. 3, 9, 23; of a teacher, as a source or creator: Isocrates pater eloquentiae, Cic. de Or. 2, 3, 10: Herodotus pater historiae, id. Leg. 1, 1, 5: pater patriae, the father of his country, of Cicero, Cic. Pis. 3, 6: quem Q. Catulus, quem multi alii saepe in senatu patrem patriae nominarant, id. Sest. 57, 121; cf.: Roma patrem patriae Ciceronem libera dixit, Juv. 8, 245.
      So of Marius: C. Marium quem vere patrem patriae … possumus dicere, Cic. Rab. Perd. 10, 27; of Trajan, and other emperors: at tu etiam nomen patris patriae recusabas, Plin. Pan. 21; cf. Sen. Clem. 1, 14, 2; Suet. Caes. 76; id. Tib. 26; id. Ner. 8; cf. also: pater senatūs, Tac. A. 11, 25; Ov. F. 2, 127; id. Tr. 2, 39; 181; id. P. 1, 1, 36: pater orbis, id. F. 3, 72; Stat. S. 1, 4, 95; 4, 8, 20.
      As a term of respect: pater Aeneas, Verg. A. 5, 348; esp., to an old man, Plaut. Most. 4, 2, 36; Verg. A. 5, 521; so id. ib. 533.
    5. E. In eccl. Lat., the Supreme Being, God: sicut enim Pater habet vitam in semet ipso, Vulg. Joan. 5, 26: confiteor tibi, Pater Domine caeli et terrae, id. Luc. 10, 21: Pater caelestis, id. Matt. 5, 48; 18, 35: Pater vester qui in caelis est, id. ib. 23, 9: Pater noster, qui es in caelis, id. ib. 6, 9: adorabunt Patrem, id. Joan. 4, 23; id. Act. 1, 7 saep.
  3. * F. Pater cenae, the host, Hor. S. 2, 8, 7: misericordiarum, Vulg. 2 Cor. 1, 3.
    Hence, by way of opposition,
  4. * G. Pater esuritionum, the father of hunger-pains, said of a very poor man who suffers from hunger, Cat. 21, 1.
  5. H. Of animals, sire: virque paterque gregis, Ov. A. A. 1, 522; Petr. 133 fin.; Col. 6, 37, 4.