Etymograph

English

bestial

Bestial comes from Late Latin bēstiālis ‘bestial, beast-like’, and goes back to Latin bēstia.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbēstia‘beast’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEbēstiālis‘bestial, beast-like’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bestial
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘animal’
  5. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1604same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbēstia‘beast’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEbēstiālis‘bestial, beast-like’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bestial
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘animal’
  5. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1604same form

Earliest quotation: c. 1603–1604, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice: “Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation!…”

Linked words

through Latin bēstia ‘beast’

beast, 4 more

Today it means

adj Beast-like.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin bēstia / bestial

Shirt and support for this word