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Added 9 October 2026

beast

/biːst/ noun

In Latin: bēstia, fera Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about beast at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A living organism characterized by voluntary movement.
A cruelly rapacious person.

Origin

From Middle English beeste, beste, from Old French beste (French bête), from Latin bēstia (“animal, beast”); many cognates – see bēstia.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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