ăger, gri, m. [ἀγρός; Germ. Acker, Eng. acre, Sanscr. agras = surface, floor; Grimm conjectured that it was connected with ago, ἄγω, a pecore agendo, and this was the ancient view; cf. Varr. L. L. 5, § 34 Müll., and Don. ad Ter. Ad. 401; so the Germ. Trift = pasture, from treiben, to drive].
I In an extended sense, territory , district , domain , the whole of the soil belonging to a community (syn.: terra, tellus, arvum, solum, rus, humus; opp. terra, which includes many such possessions taken together; cf. Nieb. Röm. Gesch. 2, 694 sq.): Ager Tusculanus, ... non terra, Varr. L. L. 7, 2, 84: praedā atque agro adfecit familiares suos, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 38: abituros agro Achivos, id. ib. 1, 53, 71: ut melior fundus Hirpinus sit, sive ager Hirpinus (totum enim possidet), quam, etc., Cic. Agr. 3, 2: fundum habet in agro Thurino, id. Fragm. ap. Quint. 4, 2, 131 (pro Tull. 14): Rhenus, qui agrum Helvetium a Germanis dividit, Caes. B. G. 1, 2 Herz.: ager Noricus, id. ib. 1, 5: in agro Troade, Nep. Paus. 3: in agro Aretino, Sall. C. 36, 1: his civitas data agerque, Liv. 2, 16: in agro urbis Jericho, Vulg. Josue, 5, 13.—In the Roman polity: ager Romanus, the Roman possessions in land (distinguished from ager peregrinus , foreign territory) was divided into ager publicus, public property , domains , and ager privatus, private estates; v. Smith's Dict. Antiq., and Nieb. Röm. Gesch. 2, 695 and 696; cf. with 153 sq.—
II In a more restricted sense.
A Improdued or productive land , a field , whether pasture, arable, nursery ground, or any thing of the kind; cf. Doed. Syn. 3, 7 sq.; 1, 71; Hab. Syn. 68, and Herz. ad Caes. B. G. 7, 13: agrum hunc mercatus sum: hic me exerceo, Ter. Heaut. 146: agrum de nostro patre colendum habebat, id. Phorm. 364: ut ager quamvis fertilis, sine culturā fructuosus esse non potest, Cic. Tusc. 2, 5; id. Fl. 29: agrum colere, id. Rosc. Am. 18: conserere, Verg. E. 1, 73: agrum tuum non seres, Vulg. Lev. 19, 19: (homo) seminavit bonum semen in agro suo, ib. Matt. 13, 24; ib. Luc. 12, 16. —* Of a piece of ground where vines or trees are planted, a nursery : ut ager mundus purusque flat, ejus arbor atque vitis fecundior, Gell. 19, 12, 8.—Of a place of habitation in the country, estate , villa : in tuosne agros confugiam, Cic. Att. 3, 15 (so ἀγρός, Hom. Od. 24, 205).—
B The fields , the open country , the country (as in Gr. ἀγρός or ἀγροί), like rus, in opp. to the town, urbs (in prose writers generally only in the plur.), Ter. Eun. 972: homines ex agris concurrunt, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 44: non solum ex urbe, sed etiam ex agris, id. Cat. 2, 4, 8: annus pestilens urbi agrisque, Liv. 3, 6; id. 3, 32: in civitatem et in agros, Vulg. Marc. 5, 14.—And even in opp. to a village or hamlet, the open field : sanum hominem modo ruri esse oportet, modo in urbe, saepiusque in agro, Cels. 1, 1.—
C Poet., in opp. to mountains, plain , valley , champaign : ignotos montes agrosque salutat, Ov. M. 3, 25.—
D As a measure of length (opp. frons, breadth ): mille pedes in fronte, trecentos cippus in agrum Hic dabat, in depth , Hor. S. 1, 8, 12.