Lewis & Short

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cārĭtas, ātis, f. [carus].

  1. I. Prop., dearness, costliness, high price, etc. (opp. vilitas): annonae, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 18, § 47; 2, 3, 92, § 215; id. Off. 3, 12, 50; Liv. 44, 7, 10; Suet. Ner. 45: rei frumentariae (opp. vilitas annonae), Cic. Imp. Pomp. 15, 44: nummorum, id. Att. 9, 9, 4: olei, Plin. 18, 28, 68, § 273: vini, Suet. Aug. 42.
    Also absol. caritas (sc. annonae), high prices, Cato, R. R. 3: ut tum vendas cum caritas est, Varr. R. R. 1, 69: cum alter annus in vilitate, alter in summā caritate fuerit, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 93, § 216; id. Off. 2, 17, 58.
  2. II. Trop., regard, esteem, affection, love (cf. amor, I.; in good prose; syn.: benevolentia, favor, studium): cum deorum tum parentum patriaeque cultus eorumque hominum, qui aut sapientiā aut opibus excellunt, ad caritatem referri solet: conjuges autem et liberi, et fratres et alii, quos usus familiaritasque conjunxit, quamquam etiam caritate ipsā, tamen amore maxime continentur, Cic. Part. Or. 25, 88; hence, opp. amor, as esteem to personal affection: si id videare, quod sit utile ipsis, defendere … haec res amorem magis conciliat, illa virtutis defensio caritatem, id. de Or. 2, 51, 206; cf. Treb. ap. id. Fam. 12, 16, 2; Liv. 24, 4, 8: ut qui pacem belli amore turbaverant, bellum pacis caritate deponerent, Tac. H. 2, 37: amor πάθος, caritas ἦθος, Quint. 6, 2, 12: caritas, quae est inter natos et parentes, Cic. Lael. 8, 27; Quint. prooem. § 6: liberalitate qui utuntur benevolentiam sibi conciliant et caritatem, id. Fin. 1, 16, 52; id. Lael. 27, 102; Quint. 11, 1, 72: ingenita erga patriam caritas, Liv. 1, 34, 5: retinere caritatem in aliquem, Cic. Lael. 19, 70: sanguine et caritate propior, Tac. A. 6, 46: caritatem paraverat loco auctoritatis, id. Agr. 16 fin.
    The subjoined gen. is usu. objective: patriae et suorum, Cic. Off. 3, 27, 100; id. Sest. 24, 53; Nep. Alcib. 5, 1: rei publicae, Cic. Phil. 12, 8, 20; Liv. 2, 2, 5: domini, id. 1, 51, 8: Syracusanorum, id. 25, 28, 7: Hieronis, id. 24, 5, 1: liberum, id. 8, 7, 18: filiae, Tac. A. 12, 4: ipsius soli, Liv. 2, 1, 5: sedium suarum, id. 5, 42, 2; Quint. 6, 2, 14.
    But sometimes also subjective, love entertained by one: hominum, deorum, Cic. N. D. 1, 44, 122; id. de Or. 2, 58, 237: civium, id. Phil. 1, 12, 29; Liv. 24, 4, 8 (with amor); or, more rarely, of the cause or ground of the love: caritas illius necessitudinis, Cic. Sest. 3, 6: benevolentiae, id. Lael. 9, 32.
    In plur. of the different species of affection: omnes omnium caritates patria una complexa est, Cic. Off. 1, 17, 57; id. Fin. 3, 22, 73: liberum, App. M. 5, p. 171.
    1. B. In late Lat., meton., caritates = cari, the loved persons, Amm. 18, 8, 14; 24, 1, 9.