(adjective) : stĕrĭlis, e (collat. form
* Acc. sing. fem sterilam sterilem, Fest. p. 316 Müll.; neutr. plur. sterila, Lucr. 2, 845; abl. sterile, Apic. 7, 1, § 258), Gr. στερεός, hard; στερίφη, στεῖρα, barren; Sanscr. starī, vacca sterilis, unfruitful, barren, sterile, of plants and animals (class. and very freq.; syn infecundus): steriles nascuntur avenae,Verg. E. 5, 37; so, ulvae,Ov. M. 4, 299: herba,id. Am. 3, 7, 31; Curt. 4, 1, 21: platani,Verg. G. 2, 70: agri,id. ib. 1, 84; id. A. 3, 141: tellus,Ov. M. 8, 789: palus,Hor. A. P. 65: harena,Verg. G. 1, 70: humus,Prop. 3, 2 (2, 11), 2; Curt. 7, 5, 34: solum,id. 3, 4, 3: steriles nimium crasso sunt semine,Lucr. 4, 1240; Cat. 67, 26: galli Tanagric' ad partus sunt steriliores,Varr. R. R. 3, 9, 6: vacca,Verg. A. 6, 251: multae (mulie res),Lucr. 4, 1251: viri,i. e. eunuchs,Cat. 63, 69; Plin. 24, 10, 47, § 78; Mart. 9, 9, 8: ova,Plin. 10, 60, 80, § 166.
* Transf. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose; not in Cic.).
* Trop., unproductive, unprofitable, fruitless, useless, vain: Februarius,Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 12, 2: quod monumentum, quod immo temporis punctum, aut beneficio sterile, aut vacuum laude?Plin. Pan. 56, 2: ne sit sterile et effetum (saeculum),id. Ep. 5, 17, 6: fama (with cassa),Stat. Th. 6, 70: labor,Mart. 10, 58, 8: pax,Tac. A. 1, 17: amor,i. e. unreturned, unrequited,Ov. M. 1, 496; Stat. S. 3, 4, 42: cathedrae,unprofitable,Mart. 1, 76, 14; Juv. 7, 203: litus sterili versamus aratro,id. 7, 49.—With gen., destitute, deprived of, unacquainted with: urbes talium studiorum fuere steriles,Vell. 1, 18 fin.: non adeo virtutum sterile saeculum,Tac. H. 1, 3: heu steriles veri!Pers. 5, 75.
* In gen., barren, bare, empty: manus,Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 3: sterilis amator a datis,bare of gifts,id. ib. 2, 1, 30: amicus,Juv. 12, 97; Mart. 10, 18, 3: epistulae,Plin. Ep. 5, 2, 2: saeculum,id. ib. 5, 17, 6: civitas ad aquas,App. M. 1, p. 106 fin.: vadum,Sen. Thyest. 173: corpora sonitu (with jejuna succo),that yield no sound,Lucr. 2, 845: prospectus,without human beings,Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 15: domus,without children,Prop. 4 (5), 11, 62. nummi,that do not bear interest,Dig. 22, 1, 7.—With gen.: sterilis laurus baccarum,Plin. 15, 30, 39, § 130: lapides plumbi,id. 33, 7, 40, § 119.