Translation
fierce, savage; cruel
Examples
.
The king was savage towards his enemies.
fregit.
A fierce storm broke the ships.
.
He answered with a cruel spirit.
.
There are fierce wild beasts in the wood.
perdidit.
Savage anger destroyed the man.
Saevus, saeva, saevum, first and second declension. This is cruelty with heat in it, rage rather than calculation, and Latin applies it indifferently to tyrants, wild animals, the sea and the weather. Virgil hands it to Juno in the first dozen lines of the Aeneid and the whole poem takes its temperature from that.
Sort the neighbours out and the word becomes precise: crudelis is cold cruelty, dirus is doom and ill omen, saevus is fury. The verb saevio, saevire, "to rage", is fourth conjugation, and saevitia is what a bad emperor gets charged with after his death.
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saevus: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "saevus" (fierce, savage; cruel): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 20.