ferus

See also: férus and Ferus

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *feros, from earlier *xʷeros, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰwéros, from *ǵʰwer- (“wild animal”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈfe.rus/, [ˈfɛrʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈfe.rus/, [ˈfɛːrus]

Adjective

ferus (feminine fera, neuter ferum); first/second-declension adjective

1. wild, savage, fierce, cruel

   Synonyms: trux, ferōx, atrōx, violēns, immānis, efferus, crūdēlis, silvāticus, ācer, acerbus, sevērus

   Antonyms: mītis, tranquillus, misericors, placidus, quietus, clemens

   • 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 4.107–108:

     prīma ferōs habitūs hominī dētrāxit: ab illā
     vēnērunt cultūs mundaque cūra suī.

     [Venus] first divested men of savage habits: from her
     came fancy attire and clean care of oneself.
     (See Venus (mythology).)

2. uncivilized, uncultivated

   Synonym: barbaricus

3. untamed, rough

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ferus	fera	ferum		ferī	ferae	fera
genitive	ferī	ferae	ferī		ferōrum	ferārum	ferōrum
dative	ferō	ferae	ferō		ferīs
accusative	ferum	feram	ferum		ferōs	ferās	fera
ablative	ferō	ferā	ferō		ferīs
vocative	fere	fera	ferum		ferī	ferae	fera

Derived terms

• efferus

Related terms

• ferōx

Descendants

• Asturian: fieru
• Catalan: fer
• Galician: fero
• Italian: fiero
• Norman: fiar (Guernsey)
• Occitan: fèr
• Old French: fer, fier
  • Middle French: fier
    • French: fier
  • → Middle English: fer
    • English: fere
  • → Middle English: fers (from the nominative singular fers)
    • English: fierce
    • Yola: fearse
• Spanish: fiero

Noun

ferus m (genitive ferī); second declension

1. wild animal

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	ferus	ferī
genitive	ferī	ferōrum
dative	ferō	ferīs
accusative	ferum	ferōs
ablative	ferō	ferīs
vocative	fere	ferī

Related terms

• fera
• feritās
• sēmifer

 

References

• “ferus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ferus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ferus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to fight like lions: ferarum ritu pugnare