Lewis & Short

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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).
          1. (α) Absol.: cum equitatus liberius praedandi vastandique causā se in agros ejecerat, Caes. B. G. 5, 19.
          2. (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.
    1. B. Trop.: ita conscientia mentem excitam vastabat, harassed, perplexed, Sall. C. 15, 5.