bestia
Latin > English
bestia bestiae N F :: beast, animal, creature; wild beast/animal, beast of prey in arena
Latin > English (Lewis & Short)
bestĭa: ae, f. perh. akin to fera and to belua,
I a beast (as a being without reason; opp. to man; while animal, = aliving being, includes man; bestia includes both fera, the beast as distinguished by fierceness, and belua, as distinguished by its size or ferocity; cf. Doed. Syn. 4, p. 290 sq.).
I Lit.
A In gen. (in the classical per. mostly in prose; esp. freq. in Cic., who uses it in its most extended signif., of every kind of living creature excepting man): disserens, neque in homine inesse animum vel animam nec in bestiā, Cic. Tusc. 1, 10, 21; 5, 13, 38; id. N. D. 2, 11, 31; id. Agr. 2, 4, 9: quod si hoc apparet in bestiis volucribus, nantibus, agrestibus, cicuribus, feris... quanto id magis in homine fit natura, etc., id. Lael. 21, 81; id. N. D. 2, 48, 124.—So of the serpent, Plaut. Poen. 5, 2, 75.—Of the crocodile and other amphibious animals, Cic. l. l.—Of the dog, Cic. Rosc. Am. 20, 56. —Of the elephant (for the more usual belua), Liv. 33, 9, 7.—Of the ass, Suet. Aug. 96.—Of a caterpillar, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 62.— Of the ostrich: sequitur natura avium, quarum grandissimi et paene bestiarum generis struthiocameli, Plin. 10, 1, 1, § 1; cf. Dig. 3, 1, 1, § 6; 9, 1, 1, § 10.—With muta, Cic. Fin. 1, 21, 71; Liv. 7, 4, 6 (cf. mutae pecudes, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 8, 24).—And for the designation of a wild animal, with fera: vinctum ante se Thyum agebat, ut si feram bestiam captam duceret, Nep. Dat. 3, 2 Dähne; Liv. 26, 13, 12; 26, 27, 12; Auct. Her. 2, 19, 29; Just. Inst. 2, 1, 12 sq.—
2 As a term of reproach (cf. belua and our beast): mala tu es bestia, Plaut. Bacch. 1, 1, 21; id. Poen. 5, 5, 13.—And, humorously, of the odor of the armpits (cf. ala and caper), Cat. 69, 8.—
B Esp., when the contest with animals became more usual in the public spectacles at Rome (not yet customary A.U.C. 583, B.C. 171, Liv. 44, 9, 4), bestia designated, without the addition of fera, a wild beast destined to fight with gladiators or criminals (v. bestiarius; usually lions, tigers, panthers, etc.).—Hence, ad bestias mittere aliquem, to send one to fight with wild beasts, Cic. Pis. 36, 89; so, bestiis obioere aliquem, Asin. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 32, 3: condemnare aliquem ad bestias, Suet. Calig. 27; id. Claud. 14: dare aliquem ad bestias, Dig. 48, 8, 11; Gell. 5, 14, 27: ad pugnam bestiarum datus, Gell. l. l. § 10: tradere aliquem ad bestias depugnandas, Dig. l. l.: bestiarum damnatio, the condemnation to fight with wild beasts, ib. 48, 13, 6 al.—Hence the expl.: bestiarum vocabulum proprie convenit leonibus, pardis et lupis, tigribus et vulpibus, canibus et simiis ac ceteris, quae vel ore vel unguibus saeviunt, exceptis serpentibus, Isid. Orig. 12, 2, 1 (but cf. supra, 1.).—
II Transf., as a constellation, the wotf, Vitr. 9, 4 (7) (called by Cic. Arat. 211 or 455, Quadrupes vasta).
Latin > French (Gaffiot 2016)
(1) bēstĭa,¹⁰ æ, f., [en gén.] bête [opposée à l’homme] : Cic. Tusc. 2, 21 ; 5, 28, etc. || [en part.] pl., bêtes destinées à combattre les gladiateurs ou les criminels : Cic. Pis. 89, etc. || constellation [le loup] : Vitr. Arch. 9, 5, 1.
Latin > German (Georges)
(1) bestia1, ae, f., das Tier, als vernunftloses Wesen (im Ggstz. zum Menschen), I) eig.: A) im Allg.: bestia cicur, fera, Cic.: bestia grandis (v. Eber), Liv.: bestiae terrenae, aquatiles, Cic.: bestiae mutae, Cic.: sus terrestris bestia est., Plaut.: ille Orpheus, immanium bestiarum delenitor, Apul.: bestiarum morsus, Cic.: bestiarum genus, das Tierreich, Plin.: ut bestiis aliud alii praecipui a natura datum est, sic homini multo quiddam praestantius, Cic.: natura alias bestias nantes aquarum incolas esse voluit: alias volucres caelo frui libero; serpentes quasdam; quasdam esse gradientes; immanes alias, quasdam autem cicures, Cic.: adde hydram Lernaeam et draconem Hesperidum! quot bestiae fuerunt immanes, Varr. fr. – als Schimpfwort, Bestie, mala tu es bestia, Plaut. Bacch. 55; vgl. Vulg. ad Tit. 1, 2: u. scherzh. mala bestia, vom Bocksgestank unter dem Arme (caper), Catull. 69, 8. – B) insbes., ein wildes, reißendes Tier, eine Bestie, Ulp. dig. 3, 1, 1. § 6; 9, 1, 1. § 10. Isid. 12, 2, 1 (aber nicht Plin. 10, 1, wo bestiarum genus = Tierreich); namentl. ein zum Kämpfen mit Gladiatoren od. Verbrechern bestimmtes, alqm bestiis obicere, Cic.: alqm ad bestias mittere, zum Kampf mit den wilden Tieren, Cic.: ebenso dare alqm ad bestias, ICt.: condemnare alqm ad bestias, damnatio bestiarum, Verurteilung zum Tierkampf, ICt.: pugnare od. depugnare cum bestiis, ICt.: ad bestias pugnare, Vulg. – II) übtr., ein Sternbild, j. der Wolf gen., Vitr. 9, 5 (7), 1. – / Nbf. bistea, Greg. Tur. hist. Franc. 1, 27: bistia, Greg. Tur. curs. stell. 5.
