bête

From Middle French beste, from Old French beste, probably partially borrowed from Classical Latin bēstia (“beast”), or less likely from an alternative Vulgar Latin bēsta (“animal”). Compare biche (probably from Old French bisse, itself from Vulgar Latin bīstia; compare Italian biscia).

• IPA^(key): /bɛt/

• audio (France)

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• audio (Canada)

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bête f (plural bêtes)

1. beast, animal

• (beast): animal

• Haitian Creole: bèt

bête (plural bêtes)

1. (offensive) Not very bright and lacking in judgement; stupid; inept.
2. Which could have been easily averted; silly.
3. (Canada, informal) Having a bad character or in a bad mood; showing great displeasure in interacting with people; ill-tempered.
   • 1999, Chrystine Brouillet, Les Fiancées de l'Enfer, →ISBN, page 69:

     Je dis ça, mais depuis quelques semaines elle est moins bête. Même avec moi — I say that, but these last few weeks she hasn't been as nasty [lit: "less of a beast"]. Even with me.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

• (stupid): idiot

• “bête” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• “bête” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• baête (continental Normandy)
• beet (Sark)

From Old French beste, from Latin bēstia.

• IPA^(key): /beit/, /bøit/
• (Saint Ouen) IPA^(key): /bɛːt/
• (Sark) IPA^(key): /bwɛːt/

• Audio (Jersey)

  (file)

bête f (plural bêtes)

1. (Jersey, Guernsey) beast, animal

bête m or f

1. (Jersey) stupid