besta

See also: bêsta, bestå, bésta, and běsta

Dutch

Pronunciation

Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -aː

Verb

besta

inflection of bestaan:
1. first-person singular present indicative
2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
3. imperative
4. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive

Anagrams

baste, batse

Galician

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbesta/ [ˈbes̺.t̪ɐ]
Rhymes: -esta
Hyphenation: bes‧ta

Noun

besta f (plural bestas)

beast (quadruped animal)
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 author, 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.
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!
mare
Synonym: egua
(figuratively) brute
Synonym: bruto

Derived terms

besta brava (“wild horse”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbɛsta̝/

Noun

besta f (plural bestas)

misspelling of bésta

References

Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “besta”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “besta”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “besta”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “besta”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “besta”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Noun

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

(pre-2012) alternative form of beste f
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)

Alternative spelling of beste

Etymology 3

Adjective

besta

(dialectal or obsolete) neuter definite singular of best

Old Galician-Portuguese

Alternative forms

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Latin bēstia (“beast”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbes̺.ta/

Noun

besta f (plural bestas)

beast (a non-human animal, especially large vertebrate quadrupeds)
- a. 1284, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Códice de los músicos, cantiga 124 (facsimile):
  
  aue nen beſta dele non comiu per ren.
  Neither bird nor beast would eat him for anything.
beast of burden, donkey
- a. 1284, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Códice de los músicos, cantiga 147 (facsimile):
  
  a beſtia de balaam
  Balaam's donkey

Synonyms

(beast): animalia, animalla

Descendants

Galician: besta
Portuguese: besta

Portuguese

Etymology 1

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

Alternative forms

bêsta (pre-reform spelling)

Pronunciation

(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)

beast (any large animal)
beast of burden (animal used to transport cargo)
ass (any of several species of horse-like animals)
(derogatory) fool; idiot (stupid person)
(euphemistic) the Beast; Satan
(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, demónio, Diabo, Satanás

Derived terms

Related terms

Adjective

besta m or f (plural bestas)

(derogatory) idiotic, stupid
astonished, speechless (extremely surprised)
Synonyms: estupefato, pasmo

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese baesta (“crossbow”), from Latin bālista, from Ancient Greek βαλλίστρα (ballístra).

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs.tɐ/, (nonstandard, but very common) /ˈbes.tɐ/
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛʃ.tɐ/, (nonstandard, but very common) /ˈbeʃ.tɐ/
- (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs.ta/, (nonstandard, but very common) /ˈbes.ta/

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛʃ.tɐ/

Hyphenation: bes‧ta

Noun

besta f (plural bestas)

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

Related terms

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

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

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛʃ.tɐ/

Hyphenation: bes‧ta

Verb

besta

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