besta brava

Galician

bestas bravas ("wild horses") in Galicia

Etymology

Attested since circa 1300. From besta (“horse”) brava (“wild”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛsta ˈβɾaβɐ]

Noun

besta brava f (plural bestas bravas)

1. (archaic) wild animal, beast

   Synonym: fera

2. wild horse

   Synonym: cabalo salvaxe

Noun

besta brava m or f by sense (plural bestas bravas)

1. (derogatory, idiomatic) brute

   Synonym: bruto

References

• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “bestas brauas”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• “besta” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “besta brava” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “besta” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.