I.fruit-bearing, fruitful, fertile (rare but class.).
I. Lit. —Absol.: terrae, * Lucr. 2, 1098: “agri,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 44, § 104; cf.: feracissimosque agros possidere, * Caes. B. G. 2, 4, 6: Sardinia, Hor. C. 1, 31, 4: “Algidus,” id. ib. 4, 4, 58: “Aegyptus,” Suet. Aug. 18: “plantae,” Verg. G. 2, 79.—
(β).
With gen., abounding in, productive of (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “Iberia, venenorum ferax,” Hor. Epod. 5, 22: “Peparethos nitidae olivae,” Ov. M. 7, 470: “terra Cereris,” id. Am. 2, 16, 7: “terra arborum,” Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 15: “acini musti,” Plin. 15, 24, 29, § 100.—
(γ).
With dat.: “terra ferax Cereris multoque feracior uvis,” Ov. Am. 2, 16, 7: “illa (terra) ferax oleo est,” Verg. G. 2, 222.—
B. Act., making fruitful: “venti,” Pall. Nov. 5.—
II. Trop., rich, fertile, fruitful: “nullus feracior in philosophia locus est, nec uberior, quam de officiis,” Cic. Off. 3, 2, 5: “nihil est feracius ingeniis,” id. Or. 15, 48: “prolisque novae feraci Lege marita,” Hor. Carm. Sec. 19: “ferax saeculum bonis artibus,” Plin. Ep. 4, 15, 8: “sitne feracius et uberius non ad laudem modo, sed ad pecuniam principi, si, etc.,” id. Pan. 43, 3.—Hence, * adv.: fĕrācĭter , fruitfully: “velut ab stirpibus laetius feraciusque renata urbs,” Liv. 6, 1, 3.
