Lewis Short
fămĭlĭa (noun F) : (with pater, mater, filius, and filia, the class.
* 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; Cic. 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.
* Transf.
* With the idea of house predominating.
* 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. 10: decem dierum vix mihi est familia,means of support,Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 36 Ruhnk.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* Transf.: libros, qui falso viderentur inscripti, tamquam subditicios, summovere familiā, permiserunt sibi,Quint. 1, 4, 3.
* 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.
Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary