silva | sylva (noun F) : (less correctly ), (old
* Gen. silvaï; silua as trisyl.,Hor. C. 1, 23, 4; id. Epod. 13, 2; cf. Prisc. p. 546 P.), f. cf. Gr. ὕλη,, a wood, forest, woodland (syn.: saltus, nemus, lucus).
* Lit.: (lupus) Conicit in silvam sese, Enn. ap. Non. 378, 19 (Ann. v. 75 Vahl.): omne sonabat Arbustum fremitu silvaï frondosaï, id. ap. Macr. S. 6, 2 (Ann. v. 197 ib.): (ignes) Conficerent silvas,Lucr. 1, 906: per silvas profundas,id. 5, 41; so id. 5, 992: densa et aspera,Cic. Att. 12, 15; id. Div. 1, 50, 114: (Ancus Marcius) silvas maritimas omnes publicavit,id. Rep. 2, 18, 33: rursus ex silvā in nostros impetum facerent,Caes. B. G. 2, 19: Caesar silvas caedere instituit,id. ib. 3, 29: juga coepta movere Silvarum,Verg. A. 6, 257: dea silvarum,i. e. Diana,Ov. M. 3, 163; cf.: silvarum numina, Fauni Et Satyri fratres,id. ib. 6, 392: nemorosis abdita silvis,id. ib. 10, 687: stabula silvis obscura vetustis,id. ib. 6, 521: gloria silvarum pinus,Stat. S. 5, 1, 151: formidolosae,Hor. Epod. 5, 55: salubres,id. Ep. 1, 4, 4: virentes,Cat. 34, 10: Silvius, casu quodam in silvis natus,Liv. 1, 3, 6.
* Transf.
* Trop., a crowded mass, abundance or quantity (class.; in Cic. sometimes with quasi): omnis ubertas et quasi silva dicendi ducta ab illis (Academicis) est,Cic. Or. 3, 12; cf. id. ib. 41, 139: silvae satis ad rem,Plaut. Mil. 4, 4, 18: silva rerum, sententiarumque,Cic. de Or. 3, 26, 103: silva virtutum et vitiorum,id. ib. 3, 30, 118: silva observationum sermonis antiqui,Suet. Gram. 24 fin.—Poet.: immanis, an immense forest (of darts), Verg. A. 10, 887; cf.: densam ferens in pectore silvam, a forest (of darts), Luc. 6, 205 Cort.: horrida siccae Silva comae,a bristling forest,Juv. 9, 13: Silva, as the title of a book; cf. Gell. Noct. Att. praef. § 6; Quint. 10, 3, 17.—So the Silvae of Statius.
* In plur., trees (poet.): nemus omne intendat vertice silvas,Prop. 1, 14, 5: silvarum aliae pressos propaginis arcus Exspectant,Verg. G. 2, 26: fractis obtendunt limina silvis,Stat. Th. 2, 248; cf. Luc. 2, 409; 4, 525: bracchia silvarum,Stat. Th. 1, 362; id. S. 4, 3, 79; 3, 3, 98; Sen. Oedip. 542.