Lewis & Short

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ā̆grestis, e, adj. [ager].

  1. I. Lit., pertaining to land, fields, or the country, country, rural, rustic, wild, ἄγριος: Musa, Lucr. 5, 1397: te in Arpinati videbimus et hospitio agresti accipiemus, Cic. Att. 2, 16 fin.: vestitus, Nep. Pel. 2, 5: falx, Tib. 2, 5, 28 al.: poma, Verg. A. 7, 111: cum lactucis agrestibus, Vulg. Exod. 12, 8: ligna non sunt pomifera, sed agrestia, ib. Deut. 20, 20: herbas agrestes, ib. 4 Reg. 4, 39.
    Subst.: ā̆gre-stis, is (gen. plur. agrestūm, Ov. M. 14, 635), a countryman, rustic, farmer, peasant, Lucr. 5, 1382: non est haec oratio habenda aut cum imperitā multitudine aut in aliquo conventu agrestium, Cic. Mur. 29: collectos armat agrestes, Verg. A. 9, 11: Fictilia antiquus primum sibi fecit agrestis Pocula, Tib. 1, 1, 39: facinus admissum a quodam agresti, Tac. A. 4, 45: inopes agrestes, id. H. 2, 13; 4, 50.
  2. II. Transf., and in mal. part.
    1. A. Rustic, in opp. to the refined citizen (urbanus, as ἄγριος is opp. to ἀστεῖος), boorish, clownish, rude, uncultivated, coarse, wild, savage, barbarous, of persons and things: sunt quidam vultu motuque corporis vasti atque agrestes, Cic. de Or. 1, 25, 115: O rem dignam, in quā non modo docti, verum etiam agrestes erubescant, id. Leg. 1, 14, 41: aborigines, genus hominum agreste, Sall. C. 6, 1: Ego ille agrestis, saevos, tristis, parcus, truculentus, tenax Duxi uxorem, Ter. Ad. 5, 4, 12: quis nostrūm tam animo agresti ac duro fuit, ut, etc., Cic. Arch. 8: dominus agrestis et furiosus, id. Sen. 14: exculto animo nihil agreste, nihil inhumanum est, id. Att. 13, 45; so Ov. M. 11, 767: rustica vox et agrestis, Cic. de Or. 2, 11; 2, 3.
      Hence, agrestiores Musae, ruder, of the language of the bar, in opp. to more refined and polished eloquence, Cic. Or. 3, 11.
    2. B. Wild, brutish: vultus, Ov. M. 9, 96: agrestem detraxit ab ore figuram Juppiter (of Io), Prop. 3, 31, 13.
      Comp., v. above.
      * Sup. agrestissimus, Cassiod. Ep. 7, 4.
      * Adv. comp. neutr. agrestius, Spart. Hadr. 3.