Dictionary

bestiality en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• (US) audio
• /ˈbistiˌælɪti/ (General-American)
• /ˌbist͡ʃiˈælɪti/ (General-American)
• /ˌbɛst͡ʃiˈælɪti/ (General-American)
• /ˈbɛstʃəlˌlɪtɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Etymology tree English bestial Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Latin -itāsder. Old French -itebor. Middle English -ite English -ity English bestiality From bestial + -ity.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Sexual activity between a human and another animal species.
   • Less common, but still frequent, are erect penises, more complete female nudes, copulations, and even scenes of bestiality. 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 216:
   • Second, the romance option brings up a unique issue: having sex with an alien. It’s somewhat difficult to say what the Christian should think on this issue because, well, the Bible doesn’t talk about aliens. Probably because they don’t exist (sorry to burst your bubble). Would this be considered bestiality? Or is it not bestiality since they are also beings capable of rational and ethical thought and self-reflection unlike usual animals? 2019 October 31, Garrick Beckett, “Beckett: How BioWare Approaches Religion & Sexuality”, in The Lutheran Column, archived from the original on 17 Sep 2020, Blog:
2. (countable, uncountable) Bestial nature, savagery, inhumanity, like (or akin to) an animal's.
   • the pitiful inadequacy of the reforms and the bestiality of the white society 1963, James Boggs, The American Revolution: Pages from a Negro Worker's Notebook:
3. (countable, dated, uncountable) Any abstract entity similar to a beast.
4. (archaic, countable, uncountable) A status of lower animal.
5. (archaic, countable, uncountable) An animal-like instinct or behaviour.
6. (archaic, countable, uncountable) A mark, trait, or emblem of a beast.

Forms

Deriveds

necrobestiality

Relateds

beastliness

Translations (60)

de Sodomie (sexual activity with animals) · pl bestialność (bestial nature) · la bestialitas (sexual activity with animals) · ar بَهِيمِيّة (sexual activity with animals) · fr zoophilie (sexual activity with animals) · ru скотоло́жество (sexual activity with animals) · yue 獸姦 /兽奸 (sexual activity with animals) · ko 수간 (sexual activity with animals) · hi पशुगमन (sexual activity with animals) · sv råhet (bestial nature) · ro bestialitate (status of animal) · es bestialismo (sexual activity with animals) · ru зве́рство (status of animal) · ms kebinatangan (status of animal) · sh skotološtvo (sexual activity with animals) · it zoofilia (sexual activity with animals) · pl bestialstwo (bestial nature) · ro bestialitate (sexual activity with animals) · pt bestialismo (sexual activity with animals) · hi तिर्यग्योनिगमन (sexual activity with animals) · gl bestialidade (sexual activity with animals) · hu bestialitás (status of animal) · fi sodomia (sexual activity with animals) · ru ско́тство (status of animal) · sv tidelag (sexual activity with animals) · sh skotstvo (sexual activity with animals) · tr behimiyet (bestial nature) · gl bestialidade (status of animal) · pt bestialidade (sexual activity with animals) · fr bestialité (sexual activity with animals) · pl bestializm (bestial nature) · pt zoofilia (sexual activity with animals) · cmn 獸姦 /兽奸 (sexual activity with animals) · el κτηνοβασία (sexual activity with animals) · fr bestialité (status of animal) · hu állatiasság (status of animal) · de Zoophilie (sexual activity with animals) · tr hayvanlık (status of animal) · sv bestialitet (bestial nature) · ca bestialitat (sexual activity with animals) · es bestialidad (status of animal) · tr behimiyet (status of animal) · es zoofilia (sexual activity with animals) · ru скотоло́жство (sexual activity with animals) · gl bestialismo (sexual activity with animals) · hu bestialitás (bestial nature) · fi eläimeen sekaantuminen (sexual activity with animals) · nl bestialiteit (sexual activity with animals) · fi eläimellisyys (bestial nature) · es bestialidad (sexual activity with animals) · fi eläimellisyys (status of animal) · gl zoofilia (sexual activity with animals) · he מִשְׁכַּב בְּהֵמָה (sexual activity with animals) · af bestialiteit (sexual activity with animals) · ru зоофили́я (sexual activity with animals) · cmn 人獸交 /人兽交 (sexual activity with animals) · pt bestialidade (status of animal) · de Bestialität (bestial nature) · ja 獣姦 (sexual activity with animals) · tr hayvanlık (bestial nature)