bosta

See also: bòsta

Basque

Numeral

bosta

1. absolutive singular of bost

Galician

Etymology

First attested in 1671. From Celtic, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷew- (“excrement; dung”) + the suffix *-st-; Compare German Kot (“feces”), Welsh budr (“filthy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɔsta/ [ˈbɔs̺.t̪ɐ]
• Rhymes: -ɔsta
• Hyphenation: bos‧ta

Noun

bosta f (plural bostas)

1. (uncountable) dung; manure (of cattle)
   • 1671, Gabriel Feijoo, Contenda dos labradores de Caldelas:

     bou correndo pola posta,
     s'acho jantar que comer,
     qu'ainda a tarde ei de esparjer
     unha gran pilla de bosta

     I'm running for the loaf,
     if I find food to eat,
     because yet this afternoon I ought to spread
     a large pile of manure

   • 1927, X. Lesta Meis, Estebo, A Coruña: Lar, page 106:

     O Carpulla andaba á bosta. Cun cesto de aro colgado debaixo do brazo, iba e viña por camiños e carreiros recollendo canta alcontraba para facer esterco

     Carpulla ("Hunger") used to search for dung. With a hoop basked under the arm, he came and went along the roads and ways, picking up as much as he could find to make manure

2. cowpat, an individual cow dropping

Synonyms

• bula, buleira, bostarega

Derived terms

• bostarega (“dung”)
• bosteira (“dung”)
• embostar (“to cover a surface with manure”)

Related terms

• bouta (a mixture of cow feces and water once used as a sealant).

References

• “bosta”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• “bosta”, in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (in Galician), 2014–2026
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “bosta”, 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), “bosta”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “bosta”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic بَسْطة (basṭa, “width, ampleness, increase, excellence”), rarer also بُسْطة (busṭa). Additionally, Maltese bosta is the regular outcome of Arabic بُسَطاء (busaṭāʔ, “the common people, the uneducated crowd”); it is possible, though not necessary, that this etymon also contributed to the Maltese word.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɔs.ta/
• Rhymes: -ɔsta

Adjective

bosta

1. much, many

   Synonym: ħafna

Portuguese

Etymology

First attested in 1621. From Celtic, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷew- (“excrement; dung”) + the suffix *-st-; Compare German Kot (“feces”), Welsh budr (“filthy”).

Back-formation from bostal (“corral: cattle pen”), from Late Latin bōstar, būstar, from bōs (“bull”) and stāre (“to stand, remain; a standing, habitation”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔs.tɐ/

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

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔʃ.tɐ/

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -ɔstɐ, (Portugal) -ɔʃtɐ
• Hyphenation: bos‧ta

Noun

bosta f (plural bostas)

1. dung; manure (of cattle)
2. (vulgar) shit

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:fezes

3. (vulgar) bullshit, nonsense

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:tolice

   falar bosta ― to say bullshit (talk nonsense)

4. (vulgar) act of foolishness or stupidity

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:tolice

   fazer bosta ― to do something stupid, to fuck up

5. (vulgar) shit (anything) [with alguma or nenhuma]

   Synonyms: merda, porra

   Fiquei aqui o dia todo e não fiz bosta nenhuma.

   I stayed here all day long and didn't do shit.

Derived terms

• bosteira
• bosteiro
• bostejar
• rola-bosta

Noun

bosta m or f by sense (plural bostas)

1. (vulgar, derogatory) shit (a despicable or cowardly person; often a man)

   Synonym: merdinha

Further reading

• “bosta”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “bosta”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Slovene

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bóːsta/

Verb

bọ̑sta

1. second/third-person dual future of bíti

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbosta/ [ˈbos.t̪a]
• Rhymes: -osta
• Syllabification: bos‧ta

Noun

bosta f (plural bostas)

1. manure
2. cowpat

Further reading

• “bosta”, 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