I.gen. plur. sync. silvestrum, Att. Trag. Rel. v. 256 Rib.), adj. silva.
I. Of or belonging to a wood or forest, overgrown with woods, wooded, woody (class.; “syn. saltuosus): collis silvestris,” Caes. B. G. 2, 18: “mons,” Varr. R. R. 1, 12, 1; Cic. N. D. 2, 53, 132: “locus,” id. Lael. 19, 68; Caes. B. G. 5, 19; 6, 34; 7, 35; Liv. 27, 26, 7: “saltus,” Curt. 4, 3, 21: “antra,” Ov. M. 13, 47: “ager,” Col. 11, 2, 52; Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 186: “via (with inculta),” Cic. Brut. 74, 259: “silvestris et montuosus situs (opp. campestris),” Col. 7, 2, 3: “silvestria saecla ferarum,” Lucr. 5, 965; cf. id. 5, 1410: “belua,” i. e. a she-wolf, Cic. Rep. 2, 2, 4; “hence also: uber,” i. e. of a she-wolf, Prop. 3, 9 (4, 8), 51: “homines,” living in woods, foresters, Hor. A. P. 391: “numen, sphinx,” Plin. 36, 12, 17, § 77 (Jahn reads de quā siluere): “bellum,” Lucr. 5, 1244: “silvestri nata sub umbrā fraga,” Ov. M. 13, 815: silvestria virgulta, i. e. foresttrees (opp. prolem olivae), Verg. G. 2, 2.— Subst.: silvestrĭa , ĭum, woodlands, forest: “an culta ex silvestribus facere potui,” Liv. 38, 49, 7; Plin. 25, 7, 33, § 70.—
II. Transf.
A. Of plants and animals, growing wild, wild: “tauri,” Plin. 8, 21, 30, § 74: “arietes (with feri),” Col. 7, 2, 4: “gallinae,” id. 7, 8, 12: “arbor,” Verg. E. 3, 70: “arbores silvestres ac ferae,” Col. 3, 1, 2: “pruni,” id. 2, 2, 20: “faba,” Plin. 18, 12, 30, § 121: “mel,” id. 11, 16, 15, § 41; Vulg. Matt. 3, 4: “cicer,” Plin. 22, 25, 72, § 148: “oliva,” Ov. M. 2, 681: “corna,” Hor. S. 2, 2, 57 et saep.—Comp.: “silvestriora omnia tardiora,” Plin. 16, 27, 50, § 116; 22, 25, 71, § 146.—
B. In gen., for agrestis, sylvan, rural, pastoral (poet.): “Musa,” Lucr. 4, 589; Verg. E. 1, 2 (for which, agrestis, id. ib. 6, 8): “truculentus et silvester,” Sen. Hippol. 461.
