bestia

See also: Bestia, bestía, bestią, and bèstia

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin bēstia (“animal, beast”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbestja/
• Rhymes: -estja
• Syllabification: bes‧tia

Noun

bestia f (plural bestias)

1. beast

References

• Bal Palazios, Santiago (2002), “bestia”, in Dizionario breu de a luenga aragonesa, Zaragoza, →ISBN

Asturian

Etymology

Derived from Latin bēstia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbestja/ [ˈbes̪.t̪ja]
• Rhymes: -estja
• Syllabification: bes‧tia

Adjective

bestia (epicene, plural besties)

1. (figurative, derogatory) brutal; coarse

Noun

bestia f (plural besties)

1. wild animal (beast)
   • 2000, Carlos Ealo López, José Luis Caramés Lage, sir gawain y el caballeru verde‎^[2], Academia Llingua Asturiana, →ISBN:

     Asina entama l’artificiu narrativu de Sir Gawain y el caballeru verde, anónimu inglés de finales del sieglu XIV qu’amuesa, cuasimente dende l’entamu, un mundu de caballeros y besties espantoses nel que l’honor de la Mesa Redonda pue quedar frayáu pa siempre.

     Thus beings the narrative creation of Sir Gawain and the Green Horse, nameless English from the end of the fourteen century that shows, almost from the start, a world of horses and frightening beasts that the Round Table’s honour can leave broken forever.

Related terms

• bestial

Further reading

• “bestia (noun)”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN
• “bestia (adjective)”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN
• García Arias, Xosé Lluis (2002–2004), “bestia”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (overall work in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN

Catalan

Etymology

From bes- +‎ tia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [bəsˈti.ə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [besˈti.a]

Noun

bestia f (plural besties)

1. great-aunt

See also

• besoncle

Hungarian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin bēstia (“beast”), of uncertain origin. First attested in 1507.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛʃtijɒ]
• Hyphenation: bes‧tia
• Rhymes: -jɒ

Noun

bestia (plural bestiák)

1. (sometimes humorous) an animal, beast, especially a large and dangerous one

   Synonyms: állat; fenevad, vadállat

   1. an imaginary or mythical monster

      Synonyms: szörny, szörnyeteg

2. (derogatory, sometimes attributive) beast (a person who behaves in a violent, antisocial or uncivilized manner)

   Synonym: szörnyeteg

3. (derogatory) a bitch; a selfish or promiscuous woman
   1. (informal) an attractive or flirtatious woman
4. (derogatory) a mischievous or unruly child

   Synonyms: csibész, csirkefogó, rosszcsont

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	bestia	bestiák
accusative	bestiát	bestiákat
dative	bestiának	bestiáknak
instrumental	bestiával	bestiákkal
causal-final	bestiáért	bestiákért
translative	bestiává	bestiákká
terminative	bestiáig	bestiákig
essive-formal	bestiaként	bestiákként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	bestiában	bestiákban
superessive	bestián	bestiákon
adessive	bestiánál	bestiáknál
illative	bestiába	bestiákba
sublative	bestiára	bestiákra
allative	bestiához	bestiákhoz
elative	bestiából	bestiákból
delative	bestiáról	bestiákról
ablative	bestiától	bestiáktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	bestiáé	bestiáké
non-attributive possessive – plural	bestiáéi	bestiákéi

Possessive forms of bestia

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	bestiám	bestiáim
2nd person sing.	bestiád	bestiáid
3rd person sing.	bestiája	bestiái
1st person plural	bestiánk	bestiáink
2nd person plural	bestiátok	bestiáitok
3rd person plural	bestiájuk	bestiáik

Derived terms

• bestiaság

Related terms

• bestiális

Further reading

• bestia in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
• bestia and (with subscription) bestia  in Ferenc Pusztai, editor, Magyar értelmező kéziszótár [A Concise Explanatory Dictionary of Hungarian] (ÉKsz.²), 2nd, expanded and revised edition, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2003 (online searchable version under development).
• bestia in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2026).

Istriot

Noun

bestia f

1. alternative form of bies'cia

References

• Cergna, Sandro (2015), Vocabolario del dialetto di Valle d'Istria‎^[3], →ISBN, →OCLC

Italian

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Latin bēstia, but some sources consider it inherited. Cognate to biscia, which is definitely inherited.

Pronunciation

• (Tuscany) IPA^(key): /ˈbes.tja/
  • Rhymes: -estja
  • Hyphenation: bé‧stia
• (central Italy, Rome) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs.tja/
  • Rhymes: -ɛstja
  • Hyphenation: bè‧stia

Noun

bestia f (plural bestie)

1. beast
   • 13^th century, “ⅬⅩⅩⅩⅡ. De’ Pagoni [82. About Peacocks]”, in Trattato dell'agricoltura [Treatise On Agriculture]‎^[4], translation of Opus ruralium commodorum libri Ⅻ by Pietro De' Crescenzi, published 1605, page 474:

     Il nido si dee lor fare sotto tetto, e da terra levato, acciocchè serpente o bestia, andar non vi possa

     Their nest is to be made under a canopy, and above ground, so that no snake or [other] animal can get to it

Derived terms

• bestia da soma

Related terms

• bestiale
• bestiaio
• bestiario
• biscia

Descendants

• → Romanian: bestie
• → Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic script: бѐштија, бе̏стија

  Latin script: bèštija, bȅstija

Anagrams

• basite, beasti

Ladino

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish bestia (“beast”), from Latin bēstia (“beast”).

Noun

bestia f (Hebrew spelling ביסטייה)

1. animal; being; creature [16th c.]

   Synonyms: animal, animalia

   • 2006, Matilda Koén-Sarano, Por el plazer de kontar‎^[5], Nur Afakot, page 78:

     Durante la gerra, kuando estávamos en Mombaroccio, el papá refuzó siempre de komer karne de puerko i de bestias muertas.

     During the war, when we were in Mombaroccio, dad always refused to eat meat from pigs and dead animals.

Latin

Etymology

The origin is unknown. A Proto-Indo-European preform *dʰwēstiā has been proposed, from the root *dʰwes- (“to breathe”) (compare Gothic 𐌳𐌹𐌿𐍃 (dius); more at deer), but this is uncertain since an initial f- would be expected in Latin; it apparently follows instead the same initial change of duellum > bellum (see w:History of Latin § Other).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈbeːs.ti.a]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈbɛs.ti.a]

Noun

bēstia f (genitive bēstiae); first declension

1. a beast
   • c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Proverbs.30.30:

     Leō fortissimus bēstiārum ad nūllīus pavēbit occursum.

     A lion, the strongest of beasts, who hath no fear of any thing he meeteth (Douay-Rheims trans., Challoner rev.)

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	bēstia	bēstiae
genitive	bēstiae	bēstiārum
dative	bēstiae	bēstiīs
accusative	bēstiam	bēstiās
ablative	bēstiā	bēstiīs
vocative	bēstia	bēstiae

Synonyms

• bēlua

Derived terms

• bēstiālis
• bēstiārium (“a medieval treatise of various real or imaginary animals”)
• bēstiārius (“involving wild beasts; person who fights with wild beasts in the arena”)
• bēstiola (“a little creature or beast”)

Descendants

Through Vulgar Latin *bīstia:

• Italo-Dalmatian:
  • Istriot: bies'cia
  • Italian: biscia, biscio
  • Venetan: bisa, bìsa, bissa, biso
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: bis, bise
  • Romansh: bestga, biestg, bestia, bes-cha
• Gallo-Italic:
  • Emilian: bìsa, béssa (Bologna, Spilamberto)
  • Romagnol: bèsa
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Old French: bisse, biche
    • Middle French: biche
      • French: biche
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: bescha
    • Galician: bicha
    • Portuguese: bicha, bicho
      • Kabuverdianu: bitchu
  • Old Leonese:
    • Asturian: bichu
  • Old Spanish:
    • Spanish: bicha, bicho
• Ancient borrowings:
  • → Albanian: bishë

Romance borrowings

• → Aragonese: bestia
• → Asturian: bestia
• → Catalan: bèstia
• → Friulian: bestie
• →? Italian: bestia
  • → Romanian: bestie
  • → Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: бѐштија, бе̏стија

    Latin script: bèštija, bȅstija

• →? Judeo-Italian: בֵיסְטִיאַה (besəṭiʔah /⁠bestia⁠/) (Rome)
• → Occitan: bèstia
• → Old French: beste (see there for further descendants)
• →? Old Galician-Portuguese: besta, bestia
  • Galician: besta
  • Portuguese: besta
• → Sicilian: bestia, bbestia, vestia, estia
• → Spanish: bestia
  • Papiamentu: bestia
• → Venetan: bestia

External borrowings

• → Czech: bestie
• → German: Bestie
• → Old Irish: píast (see there for further descendants)
• → Polish: bestia
• Proto-Brythonic: *buɨst
  • Middle Welsh: bwyst
    • Welsh: bwyst
• → Russian: бестия (bestija)
• → Slovak: beštia
• → Yiddish: בעסטיע (bestye)

Further reading

• “bestia”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “bestia”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "bestia", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “bestia”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “bestia”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray

Old Galician-Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbes̺.tja/

Noun

bestia f (plural bestias)

1. alternative form of besta

Old Spanish

Alternative forms

• vestia

Etymology

Derived from Latin bēstia. Cognate with Old French beste and Old Galician-Portuguese besta.

Noun

bestia f (plural bestias)

1. animal; being; creature (deer; wight)

   Synonyms: animal, animalia

   • c. 1200, Almerich, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 63v:

     […] en ſemblança delas beſtias ſuujſta cuemo braſas de fuego encendidas e ſemblanca de lampades

     [ […] en semblança de las bestias su vista cuemo brasas de fuego encendidas e semblança de lampades]

     The appearance of the creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches

   1. wild animal (beast)
      • c. 1200, Almerich, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 5v:

        Andat ⁊ matemoſle. Echemoſle en aq̃l pozo. E ueremos que prol aura so suenno. e pues diremos q̃ beſtia mala lo mato ⁊ lo comẏo. Oẏo lo ruben ⁊ peſol eq̃ſol enparar

        [“Andad e matemos-le. Echemos-le en aquel pozo, e veremos que prol avrá so suenno. E pués diremos que bestia mala lo mató e lo comió.” Oyó-lo Ruben e pesó-l, e quiso-l emparar.]

        “Go and let us kill him. Let us throw him into that pit, and we shall see of what use his dream is to him! And then we will say that a fierce beast killed and ate him.” Reuben heard this and was grieved by it, and decided to protect him.

      • c. 1250, Alfonso X, Lapidario, f. 105v:

        […] preſtal contra contra toda ferida de culuebra o de alacran. o de otra beſtia emponzonada.

        It serves against any injury made by a snake or a scorpion, or of any other venomous beast.

Descendants

• Ladino: bestia, ביסטייה
• Spanish: bestia
  • Papiamentu: bestia

References

• Ralph Steele Boggs et al. (1946), “bestia”, in Tentative Dictionary of Medieval Spanish, volume I, Chapel Hill, page 75

Papiamentu

Etymology

Inherited from Portuguese besta and Spanish bestia.

Noun

bestia

1. beast
2. animal

Polish

Alternative forms

• berdyjá, bestyjá (Podegrodzie)
• bestyja, bestyjo (Zagórze)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dʰwes-der.?

Latin bēstialbor.

Polish bestia

Learned borrowing from Latin bēstia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs.tja/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛstja
• Syllabification: bes‧tia

Noun

bestia f (diminutive bestyjka)

1. beast (non-human animal)

   Synonym: zwierz

2. (figurative) beast (person who behaves in a violent, antisocial, or uncivilized manner)

   Synonym: zwyrodnialec

Declension

Declension of bestia

	singular	plural
nominative	bestia	bestie
genitive	bestii	bestii/bestyj (archaic)
dative	bestii	bestiom
accusative	bestię	bestie
instrumental	bestią	bestiami
locative	bestii	bestiach
vocative	bestio	bestie

Derived terms

adjectives

• bestialny
• bestialski

nouns

• bestializm
• bestyjnik

verbs

• bestwić impf, zbestwić pf
• rozbestwiać impf, rozbestwić pf

Related terms

adverb

• bestialsko

nouns

• bestialność
• bestialstwo
• bestiarium
• bestiariusz

Further reading

• “bestia”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[6] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “bestia”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[7] (in Polish)

Romanian

Noun

bestia

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of bestie

Romansh

Alternative forms

• bes-cha (Puter, Vallader), bestga (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan), biestg (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran, Sursilvan)

Etymology

Derived from Latin bēstia.

Noun

bestia f (plural bestias)

1. (Sursilvan) animal

   Synonyms: (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Vallader) animal, (Sursilvan) tier

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dʰwes-der.?

Latin bēstialbor.

Old Spanish bestia

Spanish bestia

Inherited from Old Spanish bestia (“beast”), a learned borrowing from Latin bēstia (“beast”). Compare English beast. Compare with the inherited doublets bicho and bicha.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbestja/ [ˈbes.t̪ja]

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -estja
• Syllabification: bes‧tia

Noun

bestia f (plural bestias, diminutive bestezuela)

1. beast

   Synonym: bicho

   • 1909, “Génesis I”, in Casiodoro de Reina, transl., edited by Cipriano de Valera, Biblia Reina-Valera‎^[8], Madrid: Depósito Central de la Sociedad Bíblica, page 2:

     Y á toda bestia de la tierra, y á todas las aves de los cielos, y á todo lo que se mueve sobre la tierra, en que hay vida, toda hierba verde les será para comer: y fué así.

     ‘And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, I have given every green herb for food.’ And it was so.

2. animal

   Synonym: animal

   Hyponym: bestia de carga

Noun

bestia m or f by sense (plural bestias)

1. (figurative, derogatory) brute (person who acts stupidly)

   Synonym: bruto

Adjective

bestia m or f (masculine and feminine plural bestias)

1. (figurative, derogatory) brutal; coarse

   Él es demasiado bestia.

   He is too coarse.

Derived terms

• a lo bestia
• bestia negra
• como bestias
• como una bestia

Related terms

• bestial
• bestiario

Descendants

• Papiamentu: bestia

Further reading

• “bestia”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “bestia”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010

Venetan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin bestia. Doublet of bìsa.

Noun

bestia f (plural bestie)

1. animal
2. beast
3. insect