vegetus

Vegetus is a Latin adjective meaning lively, vigorous, or fresh. In Classical Latin it describes vitality in persons and animals as well as the condition of vegetation that is thriving. The standard masculine form is vegetus, feminine vegeta, neuter vegetum, and it follows the regular 2nd-declension adjective endings.

Usage in Latin texts spans health, vigor, and thriving plant growth; the sense can extend to describe robust conditions, energetic action, or high spirits. In botanical Latin, vegetus may be used to denote vigorous growth or lushness of vegetation, though the term is less common than more specific terms such as viridis (green) or florens (in bloom).

Historically, vegetus is attested in various authors from the late Republic through the Imperial period; translations typically render it as "vigorous," "lively," "robust," or "green and thriving" depending on context.

Modern language notes: vegetus is primarily of historical or literary interest. It appears in dictionaries of Latin and is encountered by scholars studying classical texts and Botanical Latin. It is not a common term in everyday Latin, and it has largely fallen out of contemporary usage except in philological or educational contexts.