vasto — Lewis & Short
vasto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a.id.; hence, Ital. guastar, and Fr. gāter,
I to make empty or vacant, to leave untenanted or uninhabited, to desert.
I Lit. (rare but class.):
lex erat lata de vastato ac relicto foro,Cic. Sest. 24, 53:
vastati agri sunt,Liv. 3, 32, 2:
venator vastata lustra fugit,i.e. destitute of game, Val. Fl. 1, 480: pati terram stirpium asperitate vastari, to lie waste or untilled, Cic. N. D. 2, 39, 99.—
II Transf., to empty or deprive of inhabitants, to lay waste, desolate, ravage, devastate; to ruin, destroy (the predom. signif. of the word; syn.: populor, vexo).
(a) Absol.:
cum equitatus liberius praedandi vastandique causā se in agros ejecerat,Caes. B. G. 5, 19.—
(b) With acc.:
ipse ad vastandos depopulandosque fines Ambiorigis proficiscitur,Hirt. B. G. 8, 24:
agros,Caes. B. G. 1, 11; Cat. 66, 12; Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 50, § 119 (with exinanire):
Italiam (with diripere),id. Cat. 4, 6, 13:
terram,id. N. D. 2, 39, 99:
partem provinciae incursionibus,Caes. B. G. 5, 1:
omnia caedibus, incendiis, ruinis,Hirt. B. G. 8, 25:
omnia ferro ignique vastata,Liv. 7, 30, 15; 10, 12, 7:
omnia (with invadere, polluere),Sall. J. 41, 9:
omnia igni ferroque,Vell. 2, 110, 6:
Tydides multā vastabat caede cruentus,Verg. A. 1, 471:
omnia late vastant,id. G. 4, 16:
fana Poenorum tumultu,Hor. C. 4, 4, 47:
(zonae) vastantur frigore semper,Tib. 4, 1, 153:
cuncta (panthera),Phaedr. 3, 2, 14:
direpti vastatique classe,Tac. H. 2, 16:
quos (Mardos) vastavit,id. A. 14, 23 fin.—Pass.:
ipsi cultores arvaque maturis jam frugibus ut hostile solum vastabantur,Tac. H. 2, 87 fin.—With abl. of that which is destroyed or removed:
et latos vastant cultoribus agros,Verg. A. 8, 8:
agrosque viris annosaque vastant oppida,Stat. Th. 3, 576.—
B Trop.:
ita conscientia mentem excitam vastabat,harassed, perplexed, Sall. C. 15, 5.