English word origin

Etymology of lar

Borrowed from Latin lār (“ancestral deity or spirit”) from Etruscan.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

singular of lares: a household god, particularly overseeing the family itself. · A lar gibbon (Hylobates lar).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Latin lār (“ancestral deity or spirit”) from Etruscan.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionlārla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "lār",
        "4": "",
        "5": "ancestral deity or spirit"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Latin lār (“ancestral deity or spirit”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ett",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Etruscan"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lār",
      "lar#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ancestral",
      "ancestral"
    ],
    [
      "deity",
      "deity"
    ],
    [
      "spirit",
      "spirit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "singular of lares: a household god, particularly overseeing the family itself.",
        "A lar gibbon (Hylobates lar)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Roman",
        "form-of",
        "in-plural",
        "singular"
      ],
      "recordId": "6390c090cf7fa5c8a91907210752f305e5b1dde76db1fcd872b3e27b2ee7e978",
      "rawRecordSha256": "85af0a5772f83a974058b10a0f0f4964c1011ccb67c7bba964a3f885dc9888c2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 230975
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

An Etruscan title, properly peculiar to the eldest son, but often mistaken for an integral part of the name.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin [Term?].

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Latin [Term?]"
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An Etruscan title, properly peculiar to the eldest son, but often mistaken for an integral part of the name."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "759f4e5f48a79aaa20ae86d19bc67801a756b6c3a2c2fdb3625ec9abf9707b10",
      "rawRecordSha256": "afeec60b2fc1e310bec66170cb5a7c7694962ed8c021df074a8378e47761d73b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 230976
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for lar →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bGFy