I.fruitful, fertile (of plants and animals).—Constr. with abl., gen., or absol. (with gen. only poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
I. Lit. (class.): “fossiones agri repastinationesque, quibus fit multo terra fecundior,” Cic. de Sen. 15, 53; cf. Verg. G. 1, 67; Quint. 10, 3, 2: “glebae,” Lucr. 1, 211: “solum,” Quint. 2, 19, 2: cf. Just. 2, 1: “salices viminibus, frondibus ulmi,” Verg. G. 2, 446.—With gen.: “regio fecunda fruticis exigui,” Col. 9, 4, 2: “tellus metallorum,” Plin. 33, 4, 21, § 78; “for which: Amathus metallis,” Ov. M. 10, 220 Bach. N. cr.: “mons silvae frequens fecundusque,” Tac. A. 4, 65: “segetes fecundae et uberes,” id. Or. 15, 48: “nihil ocimo fecundius,” Plin. 19, 7, 36, § 120: “uxores,” Lucr. 4, 1254: “conjux,” Hor. S. 2, 5, 31: “lepus,” id. ib. 2, 4, 44; cf.: “sue ... nihil genuit natura fecundius,” Cic. N. D. 2, 64, 160.—
B. Transf.
1. Rich, abundant, abounding in any thing (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “fecundi calices quem non fecere disertum?” Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 19; cf. “fons,” i. e. copious, Ov. M. 14, 791: “legere fecundis collibus herbas,” plentifuliy furnished, thickly studded, id. ib. 14, 347: “fecundissima gens,” rich in agricultural products, Plin. Pan. 31, 6: “(specus) Uberibus fecundus aquis,” Ov. M. 3, 31; cf.: “fecunda melle Calymne,” id. ib. 8, 222: “viscera (Tityi) poenis,” i. e. constantly renewed, Verg. A. 6, 598: “Echidna, fecunda poenis viscera trahens,” Ambros. in Tob. 12, 41: “nigris Meroe fecunda colonis,” Luc. 10, 303: “cingula monstris,” Val. Fl. 6, 470.— With gen.: “Aemilium genus fecundum bonorum civium,” Tac. A. 6, 27 fin.—
2. Making fruitful, fertilizing (only poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “imber,” Verg. G. 2, 325; cf. “Nilus,” Plin. 5, 9, 10, § 54: “excipe fecundae patienter verbera dextrae, i. e. the blows with a thong of skin given to women by the luperci, and which were supposed to promote fruitfulness,” Ov. F. 2, 427; cf. Serv. Verg. A. 8, 343; and: “quam (Danaën) implevit fecundo Juppiter auro,” Ov. M. 4, 698.—
II. Trop., fruitful, fertile, prolific, abundant (class.): pectus, Cic. poët. Div. 1, 13, 22; Verg. A. 7, 338: “artifex,” Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 71: “a quo (Anaxagora) eum (Periclem), cum alia praeclara quaedam et magnifica didicisse, uberem et fecundum fuisse,” Cic. Or. 4, 15: “duo genera verborum: unum fecundum, quod declinando multas ex se parit dispariles formas, ut est lego, legis, legam, sic alia: alterum genus sterile, quod ex se parit nihil, ut est etiam, vix, cras, etc.,” Varr. L. L. 8, § 9 Müll.: “amor et melle et felle est fecundissimus,” Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 70: “fecunda culpae saecula,” Hor. C. 3, 6, 17: “veri sacerdos,” Sil. 13, 490: “fecundum in fraudes hominum genus,” id. 2, 498: “vester porro labor fecundior, historiarum scriptores?” Juv. 7, 98.—Hence, fēcundē , adv., fruitfully, abundantly: “fecundius poëmata ferrent fructum,” Varr. L. L. 7, § 2 Müll.: “arundo recisa fecundius resurgit,” Plin. 16, 36, 65, § 163: “cantharides nascuntur fecundissime in fraxino,” id. 29, 4, 30, § 94.
