LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

ferreus

ferreus (feminine ferrea, neuter ferreum)
Classical[ˈfɛr.re.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈfɛr.re.us]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. adjectiveiron, made of iron
  2. adjectivelike or pertaining to iron
  3. adjectivehard, cruel
  4. adjectivefirm, immovable, rigid

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

ex ferrō factus.
ferreus -a -um — in Mille Verba, Bellum et Arma
ex ferrō, dūrissimus
ferreus -a -um — in Aeneis, ch. 15

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeferreusferreaferreum
genitiveferreīferreaeferreī
dativeferreōferreaeferreō
accusativeferreumferreamferreum
ablativeferreōferreāferreō
vocativeferreeferreaferreum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeferreīferreaeferrea
genitiveferreōrumferreārumferreōrum
dativeferreīsferreīsferreīs
accusativeferreōsferreāsferrea
ablativeferreīsferreīsferreīs
vocativeferreīferreaeferrea

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

copulas, manus ferreas (in navem) inicere
to throw grappling irons on board; to board.

ferrĕus, a, um, adj. ferrum,
I. made of iron, iron.
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., Cic. 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 χάλκεος ὕπνος), Verg. A. 10, 745; 12, 309: decreta Sororum, Ov. M. 15, 781.

Origins

From ferrum (“iron”) + -eus (adjective-forming suffix).

Descendants
  • Catalanferri
  • Italianferreo
  • Portugueseférreo
  • Spanishférreo
  • Galicianférreo

In English words that came into English from ferreus

  • ferrousferreus
  • ferreousferreus

Quick answers

What does ferreus mean in Latin?
ferreus, a adjective, means “iron, made of iron; like or pertaining to iron; hard, cruel”.
How do you pronounce ferreus?
In classical Latin, [ˈfɛr.re.ʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfɛr.re.us].