household god

noun

1. a god presiding over and protecting the home, especially in the religion of ancient Rome.

Word History and Origins

Origin of household god¹

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

While Picasso became a god at the Modern, Calder was more of a household god.

From New York Times

He wrote letters to doctors in England, spent his evenings reading casebooks at the library, gave up eating meat on Fridays in order to appease his household god.

From Literature

This mighty simulacrum of the glowering, rough-voiced Japanese actor—Kurosawa’s longtime muse and the household god of Toho, who appeared in more than 100 of the studio’s productions over a period of 40 years—easily dwarfs the modest Godzilla statue nearby, which stands scarcely higher than the stuntman in a rubber suit who originally played him.

From Slate

There are countless ways to know something, or someone, without firsthand evidence, and Alice, as familiar as a household god and as remote as a child star, is a prime case of cultural osmosis.

From The New Yorker

“Were it not for the transformative love of Jesus Christ, I would have been raised by a single mom without my father in the household. God’s blessing has been on America, from the very beginning of this nation. Over and over again, when we faced impossible odds, the American people rose to the challenge. This is our fight, and that is why I’m running for president of the United States.”

From MSNBC