agrestis

ā̆grestis, e, adj. [id.].

I.

Lit., pertaining to land, fields, or the country, country, rural, rustic, wild, agrios:

Musa,

Lucr. 5, 1397:

te in Arpinati videbimus et hospitio agresti accipiemus,

Cic. Att. 2, 16 fin.:

vestitus,

Nep. Pel. 2, 5:

falx,

Tib. 2, 5, 28 al.:

poma,

Verg. A. 7, 111:

cum lactucis agrestibus,

Vulg. Exod. 12, 8:

ligna non sunt pomifera, sed agrestia,

ib. Deut. 20, 20:

herbas agrestes,

ib. 4 Reg. 4, 39.— Subst.: ā̆grestis, is ( gen. plur. agrestūm, Ov. M. 14, 635), a countryman, rustic, farmer, peasant, Lucr. 5, 1382:

non est haec oratio habenda aut cum imperitā multitudine aut in aliquo conventu agrestium,

Cic. Mur. 29:

collectos armat agrestes,

Verg. A. 9, 11:

Fictilia antiquus primum sibi fecit agrestis Pocula,

Tib. 1, 1, 39:

facinus admissum a quodam agresti,

Tac. A. 4, 45:

inopes agrestes,

id. H. 2, 13; 4, 50.—

II.

Transf., and in mal. part.

A.

Rustic, in opp. to the refined citizen ( urbanus, as agrios is opp. to asteios), boorish, clownish, rude, uncultivated, coarse, wild, savage, barbarous, of persons and things:

sunt quidam vultu motuque corporis vasti atque agrestes,

Cic. de Or. 1, 25, 115:

O rem dignam, in quā non modo docti, verum etiam agrestes erubescant,

id. Leg. 1, 14, 41:

aborigines, genus hominum agreste,

Sall. C. 6, 1:

Ego ille agrestis, saevos, tristis, parcus, truculentus, tenax Duxi uxorem,

Ter. Ad. 5, 4, 12:

quis nostrūm tam animo agresti ac duro fuit, ut, etc.,

Cic. Arch. 8:

dominus agrestis et furiosus,

id. Sen. 14:

exculto animo nihil agreste, nihil inhumanum est,

id. Att. 13, 45; so Ov. M. 11, 767:

rustica vox et agrestis,

Cic. de Or. 2, 11; 2, 3. —Hence, agrestiores Musae, ruder, of the language of the bar, in opp. to more refined and polished eloquence, Cic. Or. 3, 11.—

B.

Wild, brutish:

vultus,

Ov. M. 9, 96:

agrestem detraxit ab ore figuram Juppiter (of Io),

Prop. 3, 31, 13.— Comp., v. above.—

* Sup. agrestissimus, Cassiod. Ep. 7, 4.—

* Adv. comp. neutr. agrestius, Spart. Hadr. 3.