Lewis & Short

silvestris (silvester, Plin. 14, 16, 19, § 110; Col. 1, praef. 25; Sen. Hippol. 460; also written sylv-), e (collat. form, dat. SILVANO SILVESTRO, Inscr. Orell. 4990; gen. plur. sync. silvestrum, Att. Trag. Rel. v. 256 Rib.), adj. [silva].

  1. I. Of or belonging to a wood or forest, overgrown with woods, wooded, woody (class.; syn. saltuosus): collis silvestris, Caes. B. G. 2, 18: mons, Varr. R. R. 1, 12, 1; Cic. N. D. 2, 53, 132: locus, id. Lael. 19, 68; Caes. B. G. 5, 19; 6, 34; 7, 35; Liv. 27, 26, 7: saltus, Curt. 4, 3, 21: antra, Ov. M. 13, 47: ager, Col. 11, 2, 52; Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 186: via (with inculta), Cic. Brut. 74, 259: silvestris et montuosus situs (opp. campestris), Col. 7, 2, 3: silvestria saecla ferarum, Lucr. 5, 965; cf. id. 5, 1410: belua, i. e. a she-wolf, Cic. Rep. 2, 2, 4; hence also: uber, i. e. of a she-wolf, Prop. 3, 9 (4, 8), 51: homines, living in woods, foresters, Hor. A. P. 391: numen, sphinx, Plin. 36, 12, 17, § 77 (Jahn reads de quā siluere): bellum, Lucr. 5, 1244: silvestri nata sub umbrā fraga, Ov. M. 13, 815: silvestria virgulta, i. e. foresttrees (opp. prolem olivae), Verg. G. 2, 2.
    Subst.: silvestrĭa, ĭum, woodlands, forest: an culta ex silvestribus facere potui, Liv. 38, 49, 7; Plin. 25, 7, 33, § 70.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Of plants and animals, growing wild, wild: tauri, Plin. 8, 21, 30, § 74: arietes (with feri), Col. 7, 2, 4: gallinae, id. 7, 8, 12: arbor, Verg. E. 3, 70: arbores silvestres ac ferae, Col. 3, 1, 2: pruni, id. 2, 2, 20: faba, Plin. 18, 12, 30, § 121: mel, id. 11, 16, 15, § 41; Vulg. Matt. 3, 4: cicer, Plin. 22, 25, 72, § 148: oliva, Ov. M. 2, 681: corna, Hor. S. 2, 2, 57 et saep.
      Comp.: silvestriora omnia tardiora, Plin. 16, 27, 50, § 116; 22, 25, 71, § 146.
    2. B. In gen., for agrestis, sylvan, rural, pastoral (poet.): Musa, Lucr. 4, 589; Verg. E. 1, 2 (for which, agrestis, id. ib. 6, 8): truculentus et silvester, Sen. Hippol. 461.