saevus

saevus, a, um (collat. form saevis, e; in gen. plur. saevium, Amm. 15, 9; 29, 5), adj. [etym. dub.; perh. akin with scaevus, q. v.], roused to fierceness (while ferus signifies naturally fierce); raging, furious, fell, savage, ferocious, etc. (mostly poet. )

I.

Lit., of animals:

leones,

Lucr. 3, 306; 4, 1016; cf.:

saecla leonum,

id. 5, 862:

leaena,

Tib. 3, 4, 90:

lea,

Ov. M. 4, 102:

saevior leaena,

Verg. G. 3, 246:

apri,

Lucr. 5, 1327:

sues,

id. 5, 1309:

lupi,

Tib. 1, 5, 54:

canes,

Prop. 4 (5), 4, 40; Ov. M. 7, 64:

ferae,

Tib. 1, 10, 6; Ov. M. 4, 404; 7, 387:

belua,

Hor. C. 1, 12, 22.—

II.

Transf., of any vehement, passionate excitement, fierce, cruel, violent, harsh, severe, fell, dire, barbarous, etc. (syn.: crudelis, inmitis, trux, durus).

A.

Of persons:

nunc truculento mihi atque saevo usus sene est,

Plaut. Bacch. 4, 5, 3; so (with truculentus) id. Truc. 3, 2, 5; cf.:

agrestis, saevus, tristis, parcus, truculentus, etc.,

Ter. Ad. 5, 4, 12:

gens, Cic. poët. Tusc. 2, 8, 20: ex amore saevus,

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 43:

uxor,

cross, Ter. Phorm. 5, 1, 17:

vir,

Hor. C. 3, 10, 2:

custos,

id. Ep. 1, 16, 77:

magister,

id. ib. 1, 18, 13:

novercae,

Verg. G. 2, 128:

Canidia,

Hor. Epod. 5, 47:

Tisiphone,

id. S. 1, 8, 33:

mater Cupidinum,

id. C. 1, 19, 1; 4, 1, 5:

Juno,

Verg. A. 1, 4; cf.:

conjux Jovis,

Ov. M. 9, 199:

Proserpina,

Hor. C. 1, 28, 20:

Necessitas,

id. ib. 1, 35, 17:

tyrannus,

Ov. M. 6, 581; cf.:

cum tyranno saevissimo et violentissimo in suos,

Liv. 34, 32:

saevus metu,

Suet. Dom. 3:

aliquanto post civilis belli victoriam saevior,

id. ib. 10:

post cujus interitum vel saevissimus exstitit,

id. Tib. 61:

saevorum saevissime Centaurorum, Euryte,

Ov. M. 12, 219 et saep.: saevus in armis Aeneas acuit Martem, terrible, deinos, Verg. A. 12, 107:

Hector,

id. ib. 1, 99; Ov. M. 13, 177:

Achilles,

id. ib. 12, 582:

sed manibus qui saevus erit,

Tib. 1, 10, 67:

nimium in pellice saevae deae,

Ov. M. 4, 547:

videt Atridas Priamumque et saevum ambobus Achillem,

Verg. A. 1, 458:

saevus accusandis reis,

Tac. A. 11, 5:

duces,

Hor. C. 3, 16, 16.— Poet., with inf. (cf. saevio, II. A.):

quaelibet in quemvis opprobria fingere saevus,

Hor. Ep. 1, 15, 30; cf. in comp.:

saevior ante alios iras servasse,

Sil. 11, 7.—

B.

Of things: mare, Naev. ap. Fest. s. v. topper, p. 352 Müll.; Sall. J. 17, 5:

pelagus,

Ov. M. 14, 559:

fluctus,

Plaut. Mil. 2, 5, 4:

procellae,

Lucr. 3, 805:

undae,

id. 5, [p. 1616] 222: saevi exsistunt turbines, Poët. ap. Cic. de Or. 3, 39, 157:

ventus,

Cic. Att. 5, 12; Liv. 28, 18; Ov. M. 12, 8: tempestates, Lucil. ap. Non. 388, 17; Lucr. 6, 458; Liv. 24, 8; cf.

hiems,

id. 40, 45; Val. Fl. 7, 52:

Orion,

Verg. A. 7, 719:

scopulus,

id. ib. 5, 270:

ignes,

Prop. 1, 1, 27; Ov. M. 2, 313; Hor. C. 1, 16, 11:

bipennis,

Ov. M. 8, 766:

falx Priapi,

Tib. 1, 1, 18:

catenae,

Hor. C. 3, 11, 45: tympana, sounding harshly or terribly, id. ib. 1, 18, 13 et saep.: saevo ac duro in bello, Lucil. ap. Non. 388, 15; so,

bellum,

Lucr. 1, 475: saeva et tristia dicta, Lucil. ap. Non. 388, 23: unde superstitiosa primum saeva evasit vox fera, Poët. ap. Cic. Div. 2, 56, 115:

minae,

Prop. 1, 17, 6 sq.:

verba,

Hor. Epod. 12, 13:

jocus,

id. Ep. 2, 1, 148; id. C. 1, 33, 12:

naves,

id. ib. 1, 37, 30:

militia,

id. Ep. 1, 18, 54:

cum ex saevis et perditis rebus ad meliorem statum fortuna revocatur,

Cic. Rep. Fragm. 6, p. 419 Osann (5, p. 247 B. and K.; ap. Amm. 15, 5, 23): Medea amore saevo saucia, Enn. ap. Auct. Her. 2, 22, 34; and ap. Cic. Cael. 8, 18 (Trag. v. 288 Vahl.); so,

Amor,

Verg. E. 8, 47:

horror,

id. A. 12, 406:

verbera,

id. G. 3, 252:

ira,

Prop. 1, 18, 14:

damna,

Tac. A. 2, 26:

adulationes,

id. ib. 4, 20:

caedes,

Ov. M. 1, 161:

dolores,

Verg. A. 1, 25:

ira,

Ov. M. 1, 453:

paupertas,

Hor. C. 1, 12, 43:

quae sibi belligeranti saeva vel prospera evenissent,

Tac. A. 2, 5:

ut saeva et detestanda Quirinio clamitarent,

id. ib. 3, 23:

multa saevaque questus,

id. ib. 1, 6.— Adv., in three forms, saeve, saeviter (anteclass.), and saevum (in post-Aug. poets), fiercely, furiously, ferociously, cruelly, barbarously, etc.

(α).

saevē:

saeve et atrociter factitavit,

Suet. Tib. 59:

facere omnia,

Luc. 8, 492:

gesturus impia bella,

id. 7, 171. —

(β).

saevĭter: ferro cernunt de victoriā, Enn. ap Non. 511, 8; Att. and Afran. ib. 4, 7; Plaut. Ps. 5, 2, 3; id. Poen. 1, 2, 122; id. Trin. 4, 3, 53.—

(γ).

saevum:

cui arridens,

Sil. 1, 398; Stat. Th. 3, 589; Claud. Rapt. Pros. 1, 285.—

b.

Comp.:

lumina Gorgoneo saevius igne micant,

Ov. A. A. 3, 504; Plin. 30, 2, 5, § 15; Hor. C. 2, 10, 9.—

c.

Sup.:

sunt (loca), quae tepent hieme, sed aestate saevissime candent,

Col. 1, 4, 9; Claud. ap. Suet. Claud. 2:

saevissime dentiunt,

Plin. 11, 37, 64, § 170.