cārĭtas (noun F) : carus.
* 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.
* 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.
* In late Lat., meton., caritates = cari, the loved persons, Amm. 18, 8, 14; 24, 1, 9.

s. TLL