vasto

vasto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [id.; hence, Ital. guastar, and Fr. gāter], to make empty or vacant, to leave untenanted or uninhabited, to desert.

I.

Lit. (rare but class.):

lex erat lata de vastato ac relicto foro,

Cic. Sest. 24, 53:

vastati agri sunt,

Liv. 3, 32, 2:

venator vastata lustra fugit,

i.e. destitute of game, Val. Fl. 1, 480: pati terram stirpium asperitate vastari, to lie waste or untilled, Cic. N. D. 2, 39, 99.—

II.

Transf., to empty or deprive of inhabitants, to lay waste, desolate, ravage, devastate; to ruin, destroy (the predom. signif. of the word; syn.: populor, vexo).

(α).

Absol.:

cum equitatus liberius praedandi vastandique causā se in agros ejecerat,

Caes. B. G. 5, 19.—

(β).

With acc.:

ipse ad vastandos depopulandosque fines Ambiorigis proficiscitur,

Hirt. B. G. 8, 24:

agros,

Caes. B. G. 1, 11; Cat. 66, 12; Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 50, § 119 (with exinanire):

Italiam (with diripere),

id. Cat. 4, 6, 13:

terram,

id. N. D. 2, 39, 99:

partem provinciae incursionibus,

Caes. B. G. 5, 1:

omnia caedibus, incendiis, ruinis,

Hirt. B. G. 8, 25:

omnia ferro ignique vastata,

Liv. 7, 30, 15; 10, 12, 7:

omnia (with invadere, polluere),

Sall. J. 41, 9:

omnia igni ferroque,

Vell. 2, 110, 6:

Tydides multā vastabat caede cruentus,

Verg. A. 1, 471:

omnia late vastant,

id. G. 4, 16:

fana Poenorum tumultu,

Hor. C. 4, 4, 47:

(zonae) vastantur frigore semper,

Tib. 4, 1, 153:

cuncta (panthera),

Phaedr. 3, 2, 14:

direpti vastatique classe,

Tac. H. 2, 16:

quos (Mardos) vastavit,

id. A. 14, 23 fin.—Pass.:

ipsi cultores arvaque maturis jam frugibus ut hostile solum vastabantur,

Tac. H. 2, 87 fin. —With abl. of that which is destroyed or removed:

et latos vastant cultoribus agros,

Verg. A. 8, 8:

agrosque viris annosaque vastant oppida,

Stat. Th. 3, 576.—

B.

Trop.:

ita conscientia mentem excitam vastabat,

harassed, perplexed, Sall. C. 15, 5.