fŭrĭa, ae, f., and, more commonly, plur.: fŭrĭae, ārum, f. [furo], violent passion, rage, madness, fury.
I Appellatively (only poet. for furor or rabies): unius ob noxam et furias Ajacis Oï_lei, Verg. A. 1, 41: ubi concepit furias, i. e. became furious , id. ib. 4, 474: tauri, Mart. 2, 43, 5: canum, Grat. Cyneg. 392: in furias agitantur equae, i. e. furious , ardent desire , Ov. A. A. 2, 478; Verg. G. 3, 244; Prop. 4 (5), 4, 68: auri, the fierce greediness for gold , Sil. 2, 500: ergo omnis furiis surrexit Etruria justis, in just fury , just wrath , Verg. A. 8, 494: honestae (Sagunti), Stat. S. 4, 6, 84.— Of things: tranare sonoras Torrentum furias, the wild raging , roaring , Claud. III. Cons. Hon. 45.—
II As a nom. prop. : Fŭrĭae , the three goddesses of vengeance (Allecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone), the Furies (syn.: Dirae, Eumenides).
A Prop.: Furiae deae sunt speculatrices, credo, et vindices facinorum et scelerum, Cic. N. D. 3, 18, 46: ut eos agitent insectenturque Furiae, non ardentibus taedis, sicut in fabulis sed angore conscientiae, id. Leg. 1, 14, 40; cf. id. Rosc. Am. 24, 66 sq.; id. Pis. 20, 46; Auct. ap. Quint. 9, 3, 47; Verg. A. 3, 331; Hor. S. 2, 3, 135; 1, 8, 45 al.—
B Transf., in gen., avenging spirits , tormenting spirits.
α Plur. : itaque eos non ad perficiendum scelus sed ad luendas rei publicae poenas furiae quaedam incitaverunt, Cic. Sull. 27, 76: Furiae Catilinae, id. Par. 4, 1, 27: sceleratum vicum vocant, quo amens, agitantibus furiis sororis ac viri, Tullia per patris corpus carpentum egisse fertur, Liv. 1, 48, 7; cf. id. 1, 59 fin. ; 40, 10, 1: his muliebribus instinctus furiis Tarquinius circumire et prensare patres, etc., urged on by this female tormenting spiril , this fury of a woman , id. 1, 47, 7.—
β Sing. , applied to persons who are furious or who are plotting mischief, a fury. —So of Clodius: illa furia ac pestis patriae, Cic. Sest. 14, 33; of the same, id. ib. 17, 39; cf. also: illa furia muliebrium religionum, qui non pluris fecerat Bonam Deam quam tres sorores, id. Fam. 1, 9, 15; id. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 4; Hor. S. 2, 3, 141: hunc juvenem (i. e. Hannibalem) tamquam furiam facemque hujus belli odi ac detestor, Liv. 21, 10, 11.