Ofiron. Fabricam ferream inuenere Cyclopes. Pli. The Cyclops inuented smithes craft, and working in iron. Ferrei coloris atque duritiæ marmor. Plin. Ager ferrens hortet hastis. Virgil. The field is couered with harnessed men and thicke speares. Annulus ferreus. Ouid. Bella ferrea. Ouid. Claustris ferreis cohibere portas. Sen. Ensis ferreus. Lucr. Imber ferreus. Virg. When dartes or arrowes flie so thicks as though it did raine or haile. Mucro ferreus. Virg. Seges ferrea telorum. Virg. Turris ferrea. Virg. Ferreus, per translationem. Cic. Harde harted: vnkindè. Fer us, ac ferreus. Cice. Cruell and harde harted. Durus ac ferreus, in humanus. Cic. Patiens & ferrens. Iuuen. Decreta ferrea. Ouid. Iura ferrea. Virg. Ferreum negotium. Plaut. Os ferreum. Cic. Præcordia ferrea. Ouid. Ferreus scriptor. Cic. An authour hauing a harde and crabbed stile. Secula ferrea. Tibul. Somnus ferreus. Virg. Death. Sors ferrea vitæ. Ouid. Vox ferrea. Virg.

I. Lit.: Britanni utuntur aut aere aut taleis ferreis ... pro nummo, Caes. B. G. 5, 12, 4: vomer, Lucr. 1, 314: ensis, id. 5, 1293: furcae, Varr. R. R. 1, 22, 3; for which absol.: ferreae, Cato, R. R. 10, 3: clavi, Caes. B. G. 3, 13, 4: hami, id. ib. 7, 73 fin.: manus, id. B. C. 1, 57, 2; 1, 58, 4; 2, 6, 2: clathri, Plin. 8, 7, 7, 21: fibula, Quint. 6, 3, 58: anulus, id. 7, 6, 8; cf. Plin. 33, 1, 4, 9; Suet. Aug. 100: litterae imagunculae, id. ib. 7: Hercules, an iron statue of Hercules, Plin. 34, 14, 40, 141.—Poet.: hastati spargunt hastas, fit ferreus imber, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 287 ed. Vahl.); imitated: imber, Verg. A. 12, 284; cf.: seges telorum, id. ib. 3, 45: ager, i. e. glistening with weapons, id. ib. 11, 601.—

B. Transf., like or pertaining to iron: color, iron-color, Plin. 37, 10, 61, 170: fabrica, the art of working iron, id. 7, 56, 57, 198.—

II. Trop.

A. Hard, unfeeling, hard-hearted, cruel: qui virtutem duram et quasi ferream esse quandam volunt (opp. tenera atque tractabilis), Cic. Lael. 13, 48; cf.: quis tam fuit durus et ferreus, quis tam inhumanus, qui? etc., id. Verr. 2, 5, 46, 121; and: ferreus essem, si te non amarem, id. Fam. 15, 21, 4: ferus et ferreus, id. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 3: ferus et vere ferreus, Tib. 1, 10, 2: quis tam esset ferreus, qui, etc., Cic. Lael. 23, 87: o te ferreum, qui illius periculis non moveris! id. Att. 13, 30, 2: illa (carmina) tamen numquam ferrea dixit Amo, Prop. 2, 8, 12; Tib. 2, 3, 2; 3, 2, 2: praecordia, Ov. H. 12, 183: bella, id. ib. 13, 64: sors vitae (with difficilis), id. Tr. 5, 3, 28: os ferreum, shameless, impudent, Cic. Pis. 26, 63: ferrea tum vero proles exorta repente est, i. e. the iron age, Cic. poët. N. D. 2, 63, 159; cf. saecula, Tib. 2, 3, 35.—

B. With the idea of firmness, fixedness predominating, firm, fixed, rigid, unyielding, immovable: (Cato) in parsimonia, in patientia laboris periculique, ferrei prope corporis animique, Liv. 39, 40, 11: vox, Verg. G. 2, 44; id. A. 6, 626; cf.: scriptor (Atilius), Licin. poët. ap. Cic. Fin. 1, 2, 5: jura, Verg. G. 2, 501: olli dura quies oculos et ferreus urget Somnus, ironsleep, i. e. death (a transl. of the Homeric xa/lkeos u(/pnos), Verg. A. 10, 745; 12, 309: decreta Sororum, Ov. M. 15, 781.