bestialis

Forms

bēstiālis (neuter bēstiāle); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin bēstia (“beast”) + -ālis.^[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL's earliest examples are from the 4th century AD, in Filastrius and Ambrose,^[2][4] who speak of bestial lusts and a bestial nature: the word means “of or like a beast”.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

Lewis & Short call it post-classical and rare:^[3] Prudentius uses it of the hair of beasts, and Sidonius figuratively of fierce nations.^[3][5] Augustine and other Church writers use it often of an animal or brutish nature.^[5][6]

In Medieval Latin it kept both senses^[7][8] and could also describe sins committed with animals.^[8] The neuter bestiale was used as a noun for cattle,^[9] and Du Cange records it of a dull, boorish person.^[10] Thomas Aquinas uses it as a synonym of brutalis.^[11] English took over bestial in the late 14th century, from French and directly from Latin.^[12]

Timeline

• 4th century AD – Filastrius and Ambrose use it of bestial lusts and natures.^[2][4]
• 348/49–c. 413 AD – Prudentius uses it of the hair of beasts.^[3][4]
• c. 431–486 AD – Sidonius calls nations fierce as beasts.^[3][4]
• late 14th century – Borrowed into English as bestial.^[12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of a beast, animal.^[3][5][2]
2. Like a beast, savage, bestial.^[3][5]
3. (Medieval Latin) Committed with animals.^[8]
4. (Medieval Latin) Boorish, stupid.^[10]

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin, neuter bestiale) Cattle, livestock.^[9]

Related words

• English bestial

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
9. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
10. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
11. ^ Schütz, Ludwig (1895), Thomas-Lexikon, 2nd ed., Paderborn: F. Schöningh
12. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com