Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary

I.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, δεινός, 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, 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.