ā̆grestis, e, adj. [ager].
I Lit., pertaining to land , fields , or the country , country , rural , rustic , wild , ἄγριος: Musa, Lucr. 5, 1397: te in Arpinati videbimus et hospitio agresti accipiemus, Cic. Att. 2, 16 fin. : vestitus, Nep. Pel. 2, 5: falx, Tib. 2, 5, 28 al.: poma, Verg. A. 7, 111: cum lactucis agrestibus, Vulg. Exod. 12, 8: ligna non sunt pomifera, sed agrestia, ib. Deut. 20, 20: herbas agrestes, ib. 4 Reg. 4, 39.—Subst.: ā̆gre-stis , is ( gen. plur. agrestūm, Ov. M. 14, 635), a countryman , rustic , farmer , peasant , Lucr. 5, 1382: non est haec oratio habenda aut cum imperitā multitudine aut in aliquo conventu agrestium, Cic. Mur. 29: collectos armat agrestes, Verg. A. 9, 11: Fictilia antiquus primum sibi fecit agrestis Pocula, Tib. 1, 1, 39: facinus admissum a quodam agresti, Tac. A. 4, 45: inopes agrestes, id. H. 2, 13; 4, 50.—
II Transf., and in mal. part.
A Rustic , in opp. to the refined citizen ( urbanus , as ἄγριος is opp. to ἀστεῖος), boorish , clownish , rude , uncultivated , coarse , wild , savage , barbarous , of persons and things: sunt quidam vultu motuque corporis vasti atque agrestes, Cic. de Or. 1, 25, 115: O rem dignam, in quā non modo docti, verum etiam agrestes erubescant, id. Leg. 1, 14, 41: aborigines, genus hominum agreste, Sall. C. 6, 1: Ego ille agrestis, saevos, tristis, parcus, truculentus, tenax Duxi uxorem, Ter. Ad. 866: quis nostrūm tam animo agresti ac duro fuit, ut, etc., Cic. Arch. 8: dominus agrestis et furiosus, id. Sen. 14: exculto animo nihil agreste, nihil inhumanum est, id. Att. 13, 45; so Ov. M. 11, 767: rustica vox et agrestis, Cic. de Or. 2, 11; 2, 3. —Hence, agrestiores Musae, ruder , of the language of the bar, in opp. to more refined and polished eloquence, Cic. Or. 3, 11.—
B Wild , brutish : vultus, Ov. M. 9, 96: agrestem detraxit ab ore figuram Juppiter (of Io), Prop. 3, 31, 13.— Comp. , v. above.— * Sup. agrestissimus, Cassiod. Ep. 7, 4.— * Adv. comp. neutr. agrestius, Spart. Hadr. 3.