vĕtustus, a, um, adj. [vetus],
I that has existed a long time , aged , old , ancient (in the posit. mostly poet., and almost exclusively of things; for the comp. vetustior, v. vetus): veteris vetusti (vini) cupida sum, Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 4: templum Cereris, Verg. A. 2, 713: lucus, Ov. M. 11, 360: silva, id. ib. 6, 521: ligna, Hor. Epod. 2, 43: gens, Verg. A. 9, 284: cornicum saecla, Lucr. 5, 1084: spatium aetatis, id. 2, 1174; 3, 774, cf. id. 5, 827: ratio, id. 5, 160: res, Quint. 11, 2, 5: opinio, Cic. Clu. 1, 4: hospitium, id. Fam. 13, 36, 1: amicitia, Ov. P. 4, 3, 11: sors, id. M. 4, 642.—Of a person: vetusto nobilis ab Lamo, Hor. C. 3, 17, 1.— Comp. : pix, Col. 12, 23, 1: ova, id. 8, 5, 4: memoria, Plin. 13, 16, 30, § 102: semen, id. 21, 19, 73, § 124.— Sup. : sepulcra, Suet. Caes. 81: navis, id. ib. 66: foedera, Quint. 8, 2, 12: tempora, id. 1, 7, 11: instrumentum imperii, ancient records of the State , Suet. Vesp. 8.—Of persons: qui vetustissimus ex iis, qui viverent, censoriis esset, Liv. 23, 22, 10: auctores, Quint. 10, 1, 40: vetustissimus liberorum. Tac. A. 2, 2; 2, 43; 11, 32.—Adv.: vĕtustē . *
1 After the manner of the ancients , Ascon. ad. Cic. Verr. 1, 47; 2, 13. —
2 From ancient times : vetustissime in usu est, Plin. 27, 7, 28, § 46.