I.of or belonging to the dead or to corpses, funereal (as an adj. only poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “tu tamen exstincto feralia munera ferto,” offerings to the dead, Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 81: “sacra,” Luc. 1, 616: “cupressus,” Verg. A. 6, 216; Ov. Tr. 3, 13, 21; cf.: “ferale decus,” i. e. the cypress, Sil. 10, 535: “vittae,” Ov. Ib. 103: “reliquiae,” i. e. the ashes of the dead, Tac. A. 2, 75: “ferali carmine bubo Visa queri,” Verg. A. 4, 462: “Enyo,” Petr. 120.—
B. In partic., of or belonging to the festival of the dead (celebrated annually in the month of February): “tunc, cum ferales praeteriere dies,” the days of the festival of the dead, Ov. F. 2, 34: “tempus,” id. ib. 5, 486: mensis, i. e. February, Col. poet. 10, 191. —
2. Subst.: Fĕrālĭa , ĭum, n., the general festival of the dead kept on the 17th or 21st of February, the feast of All Souls (cf.: “inferiae, justa, pompa, exsequiae, funus): hanc, quia justa ferunt, dixere Fĕralia lucem: Ultima placandis Manibus illa dies,” Ov. F. 2, 569: “feralia ab inferis et ferendo, quod ferunt tum epulas ad sepulcrum, quibus jus ibi parentare,” Varr. L. L. 6, § 13 Müll.; cf.: “feralium diem ait Varro a ferendis in sepulcra epulis dici,” Macr. S. 1, 4: feralia diis Manibus sacrata festa, a ferendis epulis, vel a feriendis pecudibus appellata, Paul. ex Fest. p. 85 Müll.: “eodem die video Caesarem a Corfinio profectum esse, id est, Feralibus,” Cic. Att. 8, 14, 1: “diem finiri placuit Feralia, quae proxime fuissent,” Liv. 35, 7, 3 Drak. N. cr.—
II. Transf., in gen., deadly, fatal, dangerous = funestus: “tune, Licha, dixit, feralia dona tulisti?” Ov. M. 9, 214: “arma,” Luc. 2, 260; 374: “bellum,” Tac. H. 5, 25: “papilio,” Ov. M. 15, 374; cf.: “papilio pestifer,” Plin. 11, 19, 21, § 65: “Idus Mart. ferales Caesari,” Plin. 18, 26, 65, § 237: “annus,” Tac. A. 4, 64: “tenebrae,” id. ib. 2,31: “aula, a term applied to the abode of the great African serpent,” Sil. 6, 216.—Comp.: “feralior,” Pacat. Pan. Theod. 46, 4.—Sup.: nefas feralissimum, Salv. Gub. Dei, 1, p. 23.—In neutr. adv.: “ferale gemiscere,” Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 130.— Hence, adv.: fērālĭter , fatally (late Lat.): “ut leo feraliter invadit,” Fulg. Myth. 3, 1 med.
