besta

See also: bêsta, bestå, and bésta

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aː

Verb

besta

1. first-person singular present indicative of bestaan
2. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of bestaan
3. imperative of bestaan

Anagrams

• baste, batse

Galician

bestas bravas ("wild horses") in Galicia

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese besta, from Latin bēstia (“beast”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbesta̝/

Noun

besta f (plural bestas)

1. beast (quadruped animal)
2. horse or any other equine
   • 1326, Antonio López Ferreiro, editor, Galicia Histórica. Colección diplomática, Santiago: Tipografía Galaica, page 295:

     pelas bestas de caualgar et carrega

     for the animals [used] for riding or for carrying load

   • 1813, anonymous, Conversa no adro da igrexa:

     Dixêronme que asta á besta que trouxêra á balixâ con tan boa notisea, chegara mais sedo do que habia doito leda coma un cuco.

     They told me that even the horse that brought the postbag with such good news arrived earlier than usual, happy as a lark.

3. mount
   • 1775, María Francisca Isla y Losada, Romance:

     Virés acò meu Dieguiño
     cando ò tempo milloràr,
     porqe si escorrega á Besta
     è esbarroufàs, alabay.

     You'll come here my little Diego
     when the weather improves
     because if the mount slips
     and you sprawl, here goes nothing!

4. mare

   Synonym: egua

5. (figuratively) brute

   Synonym: bruto

Derived terms

• besta brava (“wild horse”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛsta̝/

Noun

besta f (plural bestas)

1. Misspelling of bésta.

References

• “besta” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
• “besta” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.
• “besta” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “besta” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “besta” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Noun

besta f (definite singular besta, indefinite plural bester or bestor, definite plural bestene or bestone)

1. (pre-2012) alternative form of beste f
2. definite singular of beste f

Etymology 2

Verb

besta (present tense bestar or bester, past tense besta or beste, supine and past participle besta or best, present participle bestande, imperative best)

1. Alternative spelling of beste

Etymology 3

Adjective

besta

1. (dialectal or obsolete) neuter definite singular of best

Old Galician-Portuguese

Alternative forms

• bestia
• bescha

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Latin bēstia (“beast”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbes̺.ta/

Noun

besta f

1. beast (a non-human animal, especially large vertebrate quadrupeds)
   • 13th century CE, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, E codex, cantiga 124 (facsimile):

     aue nen beſta dele non comiu per ren.

     Neither bird nor beast would eat him for anything.

2. beast of burden, donkey
   • 13th century CE, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, E codex, cantiga 147 (facsimile):

     a beſtia de balaam

     Balaam's donkey

Synonyms

• (beast): animalia, animalla

Descendants

• Galician: besta
• Portuguese: besta

Portuguese

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese besta, probably borrowed from Latin bēstia (“beast”). Doublet of bicha.

Alternative forms

• bêsta (obsolete)

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbes.tɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbes.tɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈbeʃ.tɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbes.ta/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbeʃ.tɐ/

• Hyphenation: bes‧ta

Noun

besta f (plural bestas)

1. beast (any large animal)
2. beast of burden (animal used to transport cargo)
3. ass (any of several species of horse-like animals)
4. (derogatory) fool; idiot (stupid person)
5. (euphemistic) the Beast; Satan
6. (by extension) a monster

Synonyms

• (beast): animal, bicho, vertebrado, quadrúpede, fera
• (beast of burden): besta-de-carga
• (ass): asno, burro, jumento
• (fool): tongo, burro, jumento, estúpido, idiota, bestalhão, paspalhão, tonto, abestado
• (Satan): Satã, demônio, Diabo, Satanás

Derived terms

• besta-de-carga
• besta-fera
• bestar
• besteira
• bestice
• bestidade
• bestificar

 

Related terms

• bestial
• bestialidade
• bestialização
• bestializado
• bestializar
• bestialogia
• bestialógico
• bestificação
• bestificado
• bestificante
• bicha
• bicho

 

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs.tɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs.tɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛʃ.tɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs.ta/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛʃ.tɐ/

Verb

besta

1. inflection of bestar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Etymology 3

From Old Galician-Portuguese baesta (“crossbow”), from Latin bālista, from Ancient Greek βαλλίστρα (ballístra). Not related to above meaning of Satan (folk etymology).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs.tɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs.tɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛʃ.tɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs.ta/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛʃ.tɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): (nonstandard, but very common) /ˈbes.tɐ/
• Hyphenation: bes‧ta

Noun

besta f (plural bestas)

1. crossbow (weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock)

Related terms

• balestra
• balista
• besteiro

See also

• arco, seta