Lewis & Short

ferrĕus, a, um, adj. [ferrum], made of iron, iron.

  1. I. Lit.: Britanni utuntur aut aere aut taleis ferreis … pro nummo, Caes. B. G. 5, 12, 4: vomer, Lucr. 1, 314: ensis, id. 5, 1293: furcae, Varr. R. R. 1, 22, 3; for which absol.: ferreae, Cato, R. R. 10, 3: clavi, Caes. B. G. 3, 13, 4: hami, id. ib. 7, 73 fin.: manus, id. B. C. 1, 57, 2; 1, 58, 4; 2, 6, 2: clathri, Plin. 8, 7, 7, § 21: fibula, Quint. 6, 3, 58: anulus, id. 7, 6, 8; cf. Plin. 33, 1, 4, § 9; Suet. Aug. 100: litterae imagunculae, id. ib. 7: Hercules, an iron statue of Hercules, Plin. 34, 14, 40, § 141.
    Poet.: hastati spargunt hastas, fit ferreus imber, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 287 ed. Vahl.); imitated: imber, Verg. A. 12, 284; cf.: seges telorum, id. ib. 3, 45: ager, i. e. glistening with weapons, id. ib. 11, 601.
    1. B. Transf., like or pertaining to iron: color, iron-color, Plin. 37, 10, 61, § 170: fabrica, the art of working iron, id. 7, 56, 57, § 198.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. Hard, unfeeling, hard-hearted, cruel: qui virtutem duram et quasi ferream esse quandam volunt (opp. tenera atque tractabilis), Cic. Lael. 13, 48; cf.: quis tam fuit durus et ferreus, quis tam inhumanus, qui? etc., id. Verr. 2, 5, 46, § 121; and: ferreus essem, si te non amarem, id. Fam. 15, 21, 4: ferus et ferreus, id. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 3: ferus et vere ferreus, Tib. 1, 10, 2: quis tam esset ferreus, qui, etc., Cic. Lael. 23, 87: o te ferreum, qui illius periculis non moveris! id. Att. 13, 30, 2: illa (carmina) tamen numquam ferrea dixit Amo, Prop. 2, 8, 12; Tib. 2, 3, 2; 3, 2, 2: praecordia, Ov. H. 12, 183: bella, id. ib. 13, 64: sors vitae (with difficilis), id. Tr. 5, 3, 28: os ferreum, shameless, impudent, Cic. Pis. 26, 63: ferrea tum vero proles exorta repente est, i. e. the iron age, Cic. poët. N. D. 2, 63, 159; cf. saecula, Tib. 2, 3, 35.
    2. B. With the idea of firmness, fixedness predominating, firm, fixed, rigid, unyielding, immovable: (Cato) in parsimonia, in patientia laboris periculique, ferrei prope corporis animique, Liv. 39, 40, 11: vox, Verg. G. 2, 44; id. A. 6, 626; cf.: scriptor (Atilius), Licin. poët. ap. Cic. Fin. 1, 2, 5: jura, Verg. G. 2, 501: olli dura quies oculos et ferreus urget Somnus, ironsleep, i. e. death (a transl. of the Homeric χάλκεος ὕπνος), Verg. A. 10, 745; 12, 309: decreta Sororum, Ov. M. 15, 781.