besta

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• Rhymes: -aː

besta

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

• baste, batse

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈbesta̝/

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

• besta brava (“wild horse”)

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛsta̝/

besta f (plural bestas)

1. Misspelling of bésta.

• “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.

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

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

besta

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

• bestia
• bescha

Probably borrowed from Latin bēstia (“beast”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈbes̺.ta/

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

• (beast): animalia, animalla

• Galician: besta
• Portuguese: besta

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

• bêsta (obsolete)

• Hyphenation: bes‧ta

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

• (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

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

besta

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

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

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

besta f (plural bestas)

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

• balestra
• balista
• besteiro

• arco, seta