bête noire

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French bête noire (literally “black beast”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /beɪtˈnwɑː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /bɛt ˈnwɑɹ/

Noun

bête noire (plural bêtes noires)

1. An anathema; someone or something which is particularly disliked or avoided; an object of aversion, the bane of one’s existence.

Translations

an anathema

• Basque: piztia beltza
• Catalan: bèstia negra f
• Danish: banemand (da)
• Finnish: inhokki (fi)
• French: bête noire (fr) f
• Galician: besta negra f
• Hebrew: כבשה שחורה‎ (he) m, f (Kivsá Shxorá)

• Manx: ard-ghwoaieid f
• Persian: موی دماغ‎, ادم مزاحم و غیر قابل تحمل‎
• Portuguese: besta negra f
• Russian: жу́пел (ru) m (žúpel)
• Spanish: bestia negra (es) f
• Swedish: vildsvin (sv) n, fasa (sv) c, avsky (sv) c

See also

• bugbear

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French

Etymology

Literally "black beast". This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛt nwaʁ/

Noun

bête noire f (plural bêtes noires)

1. bête noire, pet hate, pet peeve