Wiktionary

bestial

English edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle English bestial, from Old French bestial, from Late Latin bēstiālis, from Latin bēstia (“beast”) (whence English beast).

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

bestial (comparative more bestial, superlative most bestial)

  1. (literally and figuratively) Beast-like
    • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:
      Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC, lines 753-4:
      By thee adulterous lust was driven from men /
      Among the bestial herds to range […]
    • 1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC:
      This familiar that I called out of my own soul, and sent forth alone to do his good pleasure, was a being inherently malign and villainous; his every act and thought centered on self; drinking pleasure with bestial avidity from any degree of torture to another; relentless like a man of stone.
    • 1900 April, Willa Cather, “Eric Hermannson's Soul”, in Cosmopolitan:
      His was a bestial face, a face that bore the stamp of Nature's eternal injustice.
    • 2022 December 31, Matteo Wong, “Hollywood’s Love Affair With Fictional Languages”, in The Atlantic:
      The Game of Thrones novels were best sellers without fleshed-out Dothraki; the languages in Star Wars, one of the most successful franchises ever, are mostly gibberish, even if Han Solo claims to understand Chewbacca’s bestial warbling.
Synonyms edit
Hypernyms edit
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Translations edit

Etymology 2 edit

From Middle Scots bestiall, from Middle English bestaile, from Old French bestaille, from Late Latin bēstiālia; later reinforced and remodelled on Middle French bestial, itself from Late Latin bēstiālis.

Noun edit

bestial pl (plural only)

  2. (Scotland, obsolete) Cattle.
    • 1845, The New Statistical Account of Scotland: Forfar, Kincardine, page 94:
      […] much must depend upon the way in which bestial are bought or reared, and the state of the markets when they are sold.

Anagrams edit

French edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Late Latin bēstiālis, from Latin bēstia (“beast”).

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

bestial (feminine bestiale, masculine plural bestiaux, feminine plural bestiales)

  1. bestial

Related terms edit

Further reading edit

Anagrams edit

Galician edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Late Latin bēstiālis, from Latin bēstia (“beast”).

Adjective edit

bestial m or f (plural bestiais)

  1. beastly
  2. massive, huge, giant
  3. tremendous, fantastic, awesome

Related terms edit

Middle English edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Old French bestial, from Late Latin bēstiālis.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /bɛstiˈaːl/, /ˈbɛstial/, /ˈbɛːstial/

Adjective edit

bestial

  1. animal (of or pertaining to animals)
  2. physical; non-spiritual (of faculties, knowledge, etc.)
  3. beastly, depraved (lacking human sensibility)
  4. stupid, unlearned

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • English: bestial

References edit

Old French edit

Etymology edit

First known attestation circa 1190, borrowed from Latin bēstiālis.

Adjective edit

bestial m (oblique and nominative feminine singular bestiale)

  1. bestial (of or relating to a beast)

Related terms edit

Descendants edit

Portuguese edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Late Latin bēstiālis, from Latin bēstia (“beast”).

Pronunciation edit

 
  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /bes.t͡ʃiˈaw/ [bes.t͡ʃɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /besˈt͡ʃjaw/ [besˈt͡ʃjaʊ̯]
    • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /beʃ.t͡ʃiˈaw/ [beʃ.t͡ʃɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /beʃˈt͡ʃjaw/ [beʃˈt͡ʃjaʊ̯]
 

  • Rhymes: -al, -aw
  • Hyphenation: bes‧ti‧al

Adjective edit

bestial m or f (plural bestiais)

  1. bestial; brutish
  2. beastly
  3. (informal) cool

Related terms edit

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from French bestial, Late Latin bēstiālis, from Latin bēstia (“beast”). By surface analysis, bestie +‎ -al.

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

bestial m or n (feminine singular bestială, masculine plural bestiali, feminine and neuter plural bestiale)

  1. bestial, animal
  2. (informal) cool

Usage notes edit

As indicated by the informal meaning of "cool", this word does not have the same negative connotations as in English.

Declension edit

Declension of bestial
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite bestial bestială bestiali bestiale
definite bestialul bestiala bestialii bestialele
genitive/
dative 		indefinite bestial bestiale bestiali bestiale
definite bestialului bestialei bestialelor bestialilor

Synonyms edit

Related terms edit

Spanish edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Late Latin bēstiālis, from Latin bēstia (“beast”).

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /besˈtjal/ [besˈt̪jal]
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Syllabification: bes‧tial

Adjective edit

bestial m or f (masculine and feminine plural bestiales)

  1. beastly
  2. massive, huge, giant
  3. tremendous, fantastic, awesome

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Further reading edit

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