Lewis & Short

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fămĭlĭa, ae (with pater, mater, filius, and filia, the class.

  1. I. gen. sing. is usually in the archaic form familias; familiae also occurs, v. infra; gen.: familiai, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 203; with the plur. of these words both the sing. and plur. of familia are used: patres familias, etc., Cic. Rosc. Am. 15, 43; id. Verr. 2, 3, 51, § 120 al.: patres familiarum, Cic. Att. 7, 14, 2; Sall. C. 43, 2; 51, 9, v. infra II. A. b.
    On the form patribus familiis for familiae, patrum familiarum, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 79, § 183; id. Rosc. Am. 16, 48, v. Neue, Formenl. 1, p. 7), f. [famulus], the slaves in a household, a household establishment, family servants, domestics (not = family, i. e. wife and children, domus, or mei, tui, sui, etc., but v. II. A. 3 infra): nescio quid male factum a nostra hic familia est … ita senex talos elidi jussit conservis meis, Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 11; 17; id. Trin. 2, 1, 28; id. Am. 4, 3, 10: neque enim dubium est, quin, si ad rem judicandum verbo ducimur, non re, familiam intelligamus, quae constet ex servis pluribus, quin unus homo familia non sit: verbum certe hoc non modo postulat, sed etiam cogit, Cic. Caecin. 19, 55; cf. Dig. 50, 16, 40, § 3; App. Mag. p. 304: vilicus familiam exerceat, Cato, R. R. 5, 2: familiae male ne sit, id. ib.: te familiae interdicere, ut uni dicto audiens esset, Cic. Rep. 1, 39: qui emeret eam familiam a Catone, id. Q. Fr. 2, 6, 5: cum insimularetur familia societatis ejus, id. Brut. 22, 85: conjugum et liberorum et familiarum suarum causa, id. N. D. 2, 63, 157: Petreius armat familiam, Caes. B. C. 1, 75, 2: alienae se familiae venali immiscuisse, Quint. 7, 2, 26: Aesopus domino solus cum esset familia, formed the entire establishment, Phaedr. 3, 19, 1.
    Of the serfs belonging to a temple: illi Larini in Martis familia numerantur, Cic. Clu. 15, 43; cf. of the serfs, vassals of Orgetorix: die constituta causae dictionis Orgetorix ad judicium omnem suam familiam, ad hominum milia decem undique coëgit, Caes. B. G. 1, 4, 2.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. With the idea of house predominating.
      1. 1. In gen., a house and all belonging to it, a family estate, family property, fortune: familiae appellatio varie accepta est: nam et in res et in personas deducitur; in res, ut puta in lege XII. tab. his verbis: AGNATVS PROXIMVS FAMILIAM HABETO, Dig. 50, 16, 195; so, SI AGNATVS NEC ESCIT, GENTILIS FAMILIAM NANCITOR, Fragm. XII. Tab. in Collat. Legg. Mosaic. et Roman. tit. 16, § 4 (cf. agnatus): idcirco qui, quibus verbis erctum cieri oporteat, nesciat, idem erciscundae familiae causam agere non possit, Cic. de Or. 1, 56, 237; so, arbitrum familiae erciscundae postulavit, id. Caecin. 7, 19; cf.: familiae erciscundae, Dig. 10, tit. 2: decem dierum vix mihi est familia, means of support, Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 36 Ruhnk.
        1. b. Paterfamilias, materfamilias, etc., or paterfamiliae, materfamiliae, filiusfamilias, etc. (also written separately: pater familiae, mater familiae, etc.), the master of a house in respect to ownership, the proprietor of an estate, head of a family; the mistress of a house, matron; a son or daughter under the father’s power, a minor: paterfamilias appellatur, qui in domo dominium habet, recteque hoc nomine appellatur, quamvis filium non habeat; non enim solam personam ejus, sed et jus demonstramus. Denique et pupillum patremfamilias appellamus, Dig. 50, 16, 195; cf. Sandars ad Just. Inst. 1, 8 prooem.
          1. (α) Form familias: paterfamilias ubi ad villam venit, Cato, R. R. 2, 1: paterfamilias, Cic. Quint. 3, 11; id. Fragm. ap. Non. 497, 19 (Rep. 5, 3 ed. Mos.); Sen. Ben. 4, 27 fin.; Nep. Att. 4; 13 al.; cf., in gen., of a plain, ordinary citizen: sicut unus paterfamilias his de rebus loquor, id. de Or. 1, 29, 132; 1, 34, 159.
            In plur.: patresfamilias, qui liberos habent, etc., Cic. Rosc. Am. 15, 43; 16, 48; id. Verr. 2, 3, 79, § 183 al.: (Demaratus) cum de matrefamilias Tarquiniensi duo filios procreavisset, Cic. Rep. 2, 19: materfamilias, id. Cael. 13, 32: id. Top. 3, 14; Dig. 50, 16, 46 al.
            In plur.: uxoris duae formae: una matrumfamilias, etc., Cic. Top. 3, 14; id. Fam. 5, 10, 1; id. Verr. 2, 1, 24, § 62 al.
            In an inverted order: familias matres, Arn. 4, 152: illum filium familias patre parco ac tenaci habere tuis copiis devinctum non potes, Cic. Cael. 15, 36: filiusfamilias, Dig. 14, 6, 1 sq. al.: tu filiafamilias locupletibus filiis ultro contulisti, Sen. Cons. ad Helv. 14.
          2. (β) Form familiae: ex Amerina disciplina patrisfamiliae rusticani, Cic. Rosc. Am. 41, 120; so, pater familiae, Caes. B. G. 6, 19, 3; Liv. 1, 45, 4; Sen. Ep. 47 med.; Tac. Or. 22 al.: familiae mater, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 258 Müll.
            In plur.: pauci milites patresque familiae, Caes. B. C. 2, 44, 1; Gracch. ap. Charis. p. 83 P.: Liv. 5, 30 fin.: matrem familiae tuam purpureum amiculum habere non sines? Liv. 34, 7, 3: mater familiae, id. 39, 53, 3; Tert. Verg. Vel. 11.
            In plur.: matresfamiliae, Varr. ap. Charis. p. 83 P.; Caes. B. G. 1, 50, 4; 7, 26, 3; 7, 47, 5; id. B. C. 2, 4, 3.
          3. (γ) In gen. plur.: civium Romanorum quidam sunt patresfamiliarum, alii filiifamiliarum, quaedam matresfamiliarum, quaedam filiaefamiliarum. Patresfamiliarum sunt, qui sunt suae potestatis, sive puberes sive impuberes; simili modo matresfamiliarum, filii vero et filiaefamiliarum, qui sunt in aliena potestate, Dig. 1, 6, 4: patresfamiliarum, Sisenn. ap. Varr. L. L. 8, § 73 Müll.; Suet. Calig. 26 fin.: matresfamiliarum, Sall. C. 51, 9: filiifamiliarum, id. ib. 43, 2; Tac. A. 3, 8; 11, 13: filiaefamiliarum, Dig. 14, 6, 9, § 2: patrumfamiliarum, ib. 50, 16, 195.
      2. 2. In respect to relationship, a family, as part of a gens: addere nostrae lepidam famam familiae, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 98: sororem despondere in fortem familiam, id. ib. 5, 2, 9: item appellatur familia plurium personarum, quae ab ejusdem ultimi genitoris sanguine proficiscuntur, sicuti dicimus familiam Juliam. Mulier autem familiae suae et caput et finis est, Dig. 50, 16, 195 fin.: qua in familia laus aliqua forte floruerit, hanc fere, qui sunt ejusdem stirpis, cupidissime persequuntur, Cic. Rab. Post. 1, 2: EX EA FAMILIA … IN EAM FAMILIAM, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Dig. 50, 16, 195: commune dedecus familiae, cognationis, nominis, Cic. Clu. 6, 16: Laeliorum et Muciorum familiae, id. Brut. 72, 252; id. Off. 2, 12 fin.: nobilissima in familia natus, id. Rep. 1, 19: ex familia vetere et illustri, id. Mur. 8, 17: primus in eam familiam attulit consulatum, id. Phil. 9, 2, 4: hospes familiae vestrae, id. Lael. 11, 37: Sulla gentis patriciae nobilis fuit, familia prope jam exstincta majorum ignavia, Sall. J. 95, 3 et saep.
        1. b. Transf.: libros, qui falso viderentur inscripti, tamquam subditicios, summovere familiā, permiserunt sibi, Quint. 1, 4, 3.
      3. 3. In gen., a family, the members of a household, = domus (rare): salutem dicit Toxilo Timarchides et familiae omni, Plaut. Pers. 4, 3, 32: si haec non nubat, fame familia pereat, id. Cist. 1, 1, 46: ne pateretur Philippi domus et familiae inimicissimos stirpem interimere, Nep. Eum. 6, 3.
    2. B. A company, sect, school, troop (rare but class.): cum universi in te impetum fecissent, tum singulae familiae litem tibi intenderent, Cic. de Or. 1, 10 42: familia tota Peripateticorum, id. Div. 2, 1, 3; cf.: Aristoteles, Xenocrates, tota illa familia, id. Fin. 4, 18, 49: familiae dissentientes inter se, id. de Or. 3, 16, 21: familia gladiatorum … familia Fausti, id. Sull. 19, 54: lanistarum, Suet. Aug. 42: tironum, a company of young soldiers, Cod. Th. 10, 1; Amm. 20, 4 med.
      A troop       or company of players, Plaut. Men. prol. 74.
      1. 2. Ducere familiam, in gen., to lead a company, i. e. to be at the head, be the first: Lucius quidem, frater ejus, familiam ducit, Cic. Phil. 5, 11, 30; cf.: accedit etiam, quod familiam ducit in jure civili, singularis memoria summa scientia, id. Fam. 7, 5, 3: gravissima illa vestra sententia, quae familiam ducit, id. Fin. 4, 16, 45.