bésta

See also: besta and běsta

Galician

15th-century depiction. Santa María de Labrada, Guitiriz, Galicia.

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese baesta (“crossbow”) (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from Latin ballista, from Ancient Greek βαλλίστρα (ballístra). Cognate with Portuguese besta and Spanish ballesta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛsta/ [ˈbɛs̺.t̪ɐ]
• Rhymes: -ɛsta
• Hyphenation: bes‧ta

Noun

bésta f (plural béstas)

1. crossbow
2. hock (the tarsal joint of a digitigrade quadruped)

Derived terms

• besteiro
• Besteiros
• Bestilleiros

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “bésta”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “bésta”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN