"beeste" meaning in Middle English

See beeste in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈbɛːst(ə)/, /ˈbɛst(ə)/ Forms: beestes [plural], beest [alternative], best [alternative], beste [alternative], beast [alternative, Early-Middle-English], beaste [alternative, Late-Middle-English]
Etymology: From Old French beste, from Latin bestia. Etymology templates: {{bor|enm|fro|beste}} Old French beste, {{der|enm|la|bestia}} Latin bestia Head templates: {{head|enm|nouns|g=|g2=|g3=|head=|sort=}} beeste, {{enm-noun}} beeste (plural beestes)
  1. An animal or creature (life in the kingdom Animalia, sometimes including mankind):
    A (landborne and mammalian) quadruped.
    Sense id: en-beeste-enm-noun-~ZvL~gCb Categories (other): Animals, Mammals Disambiguation of Animals: 31 27 6 24 7 6 Disambiguation of Mammals: 33 33 2 25 2 5
  2. An animal or creature (life in the kingdom Animalia, sometimes including mankind):
    A creature used as livestock; a domesticated animal.
    Sense id: en-beeste-enm-noun-g-MZWFC7 Categories (other): Animals, Livestock, Mammals Disambiguation of Animals: 31 27 6 24 7 6 Disambiguation of Livestock: 0 100 0 0 0 0 Disambiguation of Mammals: 33 33 2 25 2 5
  3. An evil being; a demon or monster.
    Sense id: en-beeste-enm-noun-8INHLFsw
  4. A beast; a powerful fantastic or mythological creature.
    Sense id: en-beeste-enm-noun-OECQ0YYi Categories (other): Animals, Mammals Disambiguation of Animals: 31 27 6 24 7 6 Disambiguation of Mammals: 33 33 2 25 2 5
  5. A person who is merciless or unforgiving.
    Sense id: en-beeste-enm-noun-aoC6KFsC
  6. A simpleton; an ignorant individual.
    Sense id: en-beeste-enm-noun-ILAzAyOG Categories (other): People Disambiguation of People: 0 0 0 0 44 56
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: beestly, bestaile, bestial

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "en",
            "2": "beast"
          },
          "expansion": "English: beast",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "English: beast"
    },
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "sco",
            "2": "beast",
            "3": "baste",
            "4": "baist",
            "5": "baest",
            "6": "beist",
            "7": "best"
          },
          "expansion": "Scots: beast, baste, baist, baest, beist, best",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "Scots: beast, baste, baist, baest, beist, best"
    },
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "yol",
            "2": "beast"
          },
          "expansion": "Yola: beast",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "Yola: beast"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "beste"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French beste",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "bestia"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin bestia",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Old French beste, from Latin bestia.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "beestes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beest",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "best",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beste",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beast",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Early-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beaste",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "nouns",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "beeste",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "beeste (plural beestes)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "beestly"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "bestaile"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "bestial"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "31 27 6 24 7 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Animals",
          "orig": "enm:Animals",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 33 2 25 2 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Mammals",
          "orig": "enm:Mammals",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An animal or creature (life in the kingdom Animalia, sometimes including mankind):",
        "A (landborne and mammalian) quadruped."
      ],
      "id": "en-beeste-enm-noun-~ZvL~gCb",
      "links": [
        [
          "animal",
          "animal"
        ],
        [
          "creature",
          "creature"
        ],
        [
          "Animalia",
          "Animalia#English"
        ],
        [
          "landborne",
          "landborne#English"
        ],
        [
          "mammalian",
          "mammalian#English"
        ],
        [
          "quadruped",
          "quadruped"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "31 27 6 24 7 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Animals",
          "orig": "enm:Animals",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "0 100 0 0 0 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Livestock",
          "orig": "enm:Livestock",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 33 2 25 2 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Mammals",
          "orig": "enm:Mammals",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
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          "bold_english_offsets": [
            [
              116,
              123
            ]
          ],
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              71,
              77
            ]
          ],
          "english": "Afterwards, as our books record, it happened one day that / while this brave child was peacefully looking after his animals […]",
          "ref": "c. 1335-1361, William of Palerne (MS. King's College 13), folio 6, recto, lines 198-199; republished as W. W. Skeat, editor, The Romance of William of Palerne, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1867, →OCLC, page 12:",
          "text": "Hit tidde after on a time · as tellus our bokes / as þis bold barn his beſtes · blybeliche keped[…]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An animal or creature (life in the kingdom Animalia, sometimes including mankind):",
        "A creature used as livestock; a domesticated animal."
      ],
      "id": "en-beeste-enm-noun-g-MZWFC7",
      "links": [
        [
          "animal",
          "animal"
        ],
        [
          "creature",
          "creature"
        ],
        [
          "Animalia",
          "Animalia#English"
        ],
        [
          "livestock",
          "livestock"
        ],
        [
          "domesticated",
          "domesticated"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "An evil being; a demon or monster."
      ],
      "id": "en-beeste-enm-noun-8INHLFsw",
      "links": [
        [
          "evil",
          "evil"
        ],
        [
          "demon",
          "demon"
        ],
        [
          "monster",
          "monster"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "31 27 6 24 7 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Animals",
          "orig": "enm:Animals",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 33 2 25 2 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Mammals",
          "orig": "enm:Mammals",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_english_offsets": [
            [
              14,
              19
            ],
            [
              54,
              59
            ],
            [
              93,
              98
            ],
            [
              139,
              144
            ]
          ],
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              12,
              18
            ],
            [
              51,
              57
            ],
            [
              87,
              93
            ],
            [
              138,
              144
            ]
          ],
          "english": "And the first beast [was] like a lion; and the second beast [was] like a calf; and the third beast had a face like a human; and the fourth beast [was] like an eagle flying.",
          "ref": "c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.), published c. 1410, Apocalips 4:7, page 118v, column 2; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:",
          "text": "⁊ þe firſte beeſte .· liyk a lioun / ⁊ þe ſecounde beeſte .· lijk a calf / ⁊ þe þꝛidde beeſte .· hauynge a face as of a man / ⁊ þe fourþe beeſte .· liyk an egle fleynge",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A beast; a powerful fantastic or mythological creature."
      ],
      "id": "en-beeste-enm-noun-OECQ0YYi",
      "links": [
        [
          "beast",
          "beast"
        ],
        [
          "fantastic",
          "fantastic"
        ],
        [
          "mythological",
          "mythological"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A person who is merciless or unforgiving."
      ],
      "id": "en-beeste-enm-noun-aoC6KFsC",
      "links": [
        [
          "person",
          "person"
        ],
        [
          "merciless",
          "merciless"
        ],
        [
          "unforgiving",
          "unforgiving"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "0 0 0 0 44 56",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "enm:People",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A simpleton; an ignorant individual."
      ],
      "id": "en-beeste-enm-noun-ILAzAyOG",
      "links": [
        [
          "simpleton",
          "simpleton"
        ],
        [
          "ignorant",
          "ignorant"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbɛːst(ə)/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbɛst(ə)/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "beeste"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English nouns",
    "Middle English terms borrowed from Old French",
    "Middle English terms derived from Latin",
    "Middle English terms derived from Old French",
    "Pages with 2 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "enm:Animals",
    "enm:Livestock",
    "enm:Mammals",
    "enm:People"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "en",
            "2": "beast"
          },
          "expansion": "English: beast",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "English: beast"
    },
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "sco",
            "2": "beast",
            "3": "baste",
            "4": "baist",
            "5": "baest",
            "6": "beist",
            "7": "best"
          },
          "expansion": "Scots: beast, baste, baist, baest, beist, best",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "Scots: beast, baste, baist, baest, beist, best"
    },
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "yol",
            "2": "beast"
          },
          "expansion": "Yola: beast",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "Yola: beast"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "beste"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French beste",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "bestia"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin bestia",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Old French beste, from Latin bestia.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "beestes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beest",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "best",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beste",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beast",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Early-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "beaste",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "nouns",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "beeste",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "beeste (plural beestes)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "beestly"
    },
    {
      "word": "bestaile"
    },
    {
      "word": "bestial"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "An animal or creature (life in the kingdom Animalia, sometimes including mankind):",
        "A (landborne and mammalian) quadruped."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "animal",
          "animal"
        ],
        [
          "creature",
          "creature"
        ],
        [
          "Animalia",
          "Animalia#English"
        ],
        [
          "landborne",
          "landborne#English"
        ],
        [
          "mammalian",
          "mammalian#English"
        ],
        [
          "quadruped",
          "quadruped"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_english_offsets": [
            [
              116,
              123
            ]
          ],
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              71,
              77
            ]
          ],
          "english": "Afterwards, as our books record, it happened one day that / while this brave child was peacefully looking after his animals […]",
          "ref": "c. 1335-1361, William of Palerne (MS. King's College 13), folio 6, recto, lines 198-199; republished as W. W. Skeat, editor, The Romance of William of Palerne, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1867, →OCLC, page 12:",
          "text": "Hit tidde after on a time · as tellus our bokes / as þis bold barn his beſtes · blybeliche keped[…]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An animal or creature (life in the kingdom Animalia, sometimes including mankind):",
        "A creature used as livestock; a domesticated animal."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "animal",
          "animal"
        ],
        [
          "creature",
          "creature"
        ],
        [
          "Animalia",
          "Animalia#English"
        ],
        [
          "livestock",
          "livestock"
        ],
        [
          "domesticated",
          "domesticated"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "An evil being; a demon or monster."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "evil",
          "evil"
        ],
        [
          "demon",
          "demon"
        ],
        [
          "monster",
          "monster"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_english_offsets": [
            [
              14,
              19
            ],
            [
              54,
              59
            ],
            [
              93,
              98
            ],
            [
              139,
              144
            ]
          ],
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              12,
              18
            ],
            [
              51,
              57
            ],
            [
              87,
              93
            ],
            [
              138,
              144
            ]
          ],
          "english": "And the first beast [was] like a lion; and the second beast [was] like a calf; and the third beast had a face like a human; and the fourth beast [was] like an eagle flying.",
          "ref": "c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.), published c. 1410, Apocalips 4:7, page 118v, column 2; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:",
          "text": "⁊ þe firſte beeſte .· liyk a lioun / ⁊ þe ſecounde beeſte .· lijk a calf / ⁊ þe þꝛidde beeſte .· hauynge a face as of a man / ⁊ þe fourþe beeſte .· liyk an egle fleynge",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A beast; a powerful fantastic or mythological creature."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "beast",
          "beast"
        ],
        [
          "fantastic",
          "fantastic"
        ],
        [
          "mythological",
          "mythological"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A person who is merciless or unforgiving."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "person",
          "person"
        ],
        [
          "merciless",
          "merciless"
        ],
        [
          "unforgiving",
          "unforgiving"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A simpleton; an ignorant individual."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "simpleton",
          "simpleton"
        ],
        [
          "ignorant",
          "ignorant"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbɛːst(ə)/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbɛst(ə)/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "beeste"
}

Download raw JSONL data for beeste meaning in Middle English (4.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-18 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-06-01 using wiktextract (074e7de and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.