Lewis & Short

vastus, a, um, adj. [cf.: vanus, vacuus], empty, unoccupied, i.e. waste, desert.

  1. I. Lit. (so rare but class.; syn.: vacuus, desertus): genus agrorum propter pestilentiam vastum atque desertum, Cic. Agr. 2, 26, 69: lex erat lata vasto ac relicto foro, id. Sest. 24, 53: agrum vastum ac desertum habere, Liv. 28, 11, 10: vasta ac deserta urbs, id. 24, 3, 11; 28, 7, 12: vasta incendiis ruinisque urbs, id. 5, 53, 1: mons vastus ab naturā et humano cultu, uncultivated, Sall. J. 48, 3: urbs a defensoribus vasta, without, Liv. 23, 30, 7 (al. ex conj. vacua).
    1. B. Trop. (the fig. taken from tracts of country lying waste or untilled), uncultivated, unpolished, rude, rough, harsh: vultu motuque corporis vasti atque agrestes, Cic. de Or. 1, 25, 115: vastus homo atque foedus, id. ib. 1, 25, 117: vasti quidam et insubidi, Gell. 19, 9, 9: fugiemus crebras vocalium concursiones, quae vastam atque hiantem orationem reddunt, ut hoc est: baccae aeneae amoenissimae impendebant, Auct. Her. 4, 12, 18: omnia vasta ac temeraria esse, Liv. 24, 48, 7: littera vastior, too harsh-sounding, Cic. Or. 45, 153.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Desolate, deserted: abs te viduae et vastae virgines sunt, made lonely, Enn. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 1, 52 (Trag. v. 279 Vahl.): dies per silentium vastus, Tac. A. 3, 4.
    2. B. Wasted by destruction, laid waste, ravaged, devastated, destroyed (rare; cf. vastatus): fit vasta Troja, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 130: jam hanc urbem ferro vastam faciet Peleus, Att. ap. Fest. pp. 372 and 373: haec ego vasta dabo, Verg. A. 9, 323: nec solum modo vastum hosti relictum, sed castellis etiam vicisque illatus ignis, Liv. 10, 12, 8.
    3. C. With the predom. idea of extent, vast, immense, enormous, huge, monstrous (syn.: ingens, immanis).
      1. 1. Of size: jamque fere pulvis ad caelum vasta videtur, Enn. ap. Non. 217, 11 (Ann. v. 286 Vahl.): immani et vastae insidens beluae, Cic. Rep. 2, 40, 67: vasta et immanis belua, id. Div. 1, 24, 49; cf.: vastissimae beluae, id. Rep. 2, 26, 49: elephanto beluarum nulla prudentior; ad figuram quae vastior? id. N. D. 1, 35, 97: summa erat vasto atque aperto mari, difficultas navigandi, Caes. B. G. 3, 12; cf.: in vastissimo atque apertissimo Oceano, id. ib. 3, 9, 7: fossa vastissima, Cic. Rep. 2, 6, 11: solitudines, id. ib. 2, 6, 19: campi, Verg. A. 3, 13: Charybdis, Lucr. 1, 722: antiquus crater, quem vastum vastior ipse Sustulit Aegides, Ov. M. 12, 236: antrum, Verg. A. 1, 52: hiatus speluncae, id. ib. 6, 237: suspectus turris, id. ib. 9, 530: manus, Ov. F. 2, 322: arma, Verg. A. 10, 768: corpus, Col. 7, 12, 3.
      2. 2. Transf., of degree, etc., immense, enormous, prodigious, vast, etc.: iter, i.e. on the vast ocean, Ov. M. 14, 438: certamen, Verg. A. 12, 553: impetus, Hor. C. 4, 14, 30: pugnae Cannensis clades vastissima, Gell. 5, 17, 5: tempestas, Col. 2, 20, 5; cf.: vapores vastissimi, id. 2, 20, 1: clamor, Verg. A. 10, 716; Ov. M. 12, 494: murmur, Verg. A. 1, 245: latratus, Col. 7, 12, 3: tonitru, Val. Fl. 1, 617: pondus, Verg. A. 5, 447; Ov. H. 9, 88.
      3. 3. Trop.: vastus animus, i.e. insatiable, Sall. C. 5, 4.
        Rarely with abstr. nouns: quam vasta potentia nostra est, Ov. M. 2, 520: varia vastaque scientia, Col. 1, pr. 28: nefas, Sen. Herc. Oet. 767.
        Adv.: vastē.
      1. 1. (Acc. to vastus, I. B.) Rudely, harshly: loqui non aspere, non vaste, non rustice, etc., Cic. de Or. 3, 12, 45: ne vastius diducantur verba, id. ib. 3, 43, 172.
      2. 2. (Acc. to II. B.) Widely, vastly, immensely, violently, enormously: vaste cedentia litora, Mel. 1, 1, 4: vastius insurgens decimae ruit impetus undae, Ov. M. 11, 530: vastius podagra correpti, Scrib. Comp. 107.