noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈbɛstʃəlˌlɪtɪ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈbistiˌælɪti/
General-American:/ˌbist͡ʃiˈælɪti/
General-American:/ˌbɛst͡ʃiˈælɪti/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ælɪti
CMU ARPABET:B EH0 S CH AE1 L IH0 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Sexual activity between a human and another animal species.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Bestial nature, savagery, inhumanity, like (or akin to) an animal's.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Any abstract entity similar to a beast.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, dated, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A status of lower animal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
An animal-like instinct or behaviour.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A mark, trait, or emblem of a beast.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
sexual activity between a person and an animal
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: zooerastia, zooerasty
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sexual activity, sexual practice, sex, sex activity
8
noun
Meaning 8
the stupid brutal quality of a beast
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: inhumaneness, inhumanity
History
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.
Across languages
Translations
56 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Finnish:
eläimellisyys
— status of animal
French:
bestialité
— status of animal
Galician:
bestialidade
— status of animal
Hungarian:
bestialitás
— status of animal
Hungarian:
állatiasság
— status of animal
Malay:
kebinatangan
— status of animal
Portuguese:
bestialidade
— status of animal
Romanian:
bestialitate
— status of animal
Russian:
ско́тство
(skótstvo)
— status of animal
Russian:
зве́рство
(zvérstvo)
— status of animal
Spanish:
bestialidad
— status of animal
Afrikaans:
bestialiteit
— sexual activity with animals
Arabic:
بَهِيمِيّة
(bahīmiyya)
— sexual activity with animals
Catalan:
bestialitat
— sexual activity with animals
Chinese Cantonese:
獸姦 /兽奸
(sau3 gaan1)
— sexual activity with animals
Chinese Mandarin:
獸姦 /兽奸
(shòujiān)
— sexual activity with animals
Chinese Mandarin:
人獸交 /人兽交
(rénshòujiāo)
— sexual activity with animals
Dutch:
bestialiteit
— sexual activity with animals
Finnish:
eläimeen sekaantuminen
— sexual activity with animals
Finnish:
sodomia
— sexual activity with animals
French:
zoophilie
— sexual activity with animals
French:
bestialité
— sexual activity with animals
Galician:
bestialidade
— sexual activity with animals
Galician:
bestialismo
— sexual activity with animals
Galician:
zoofilia
— sexual activity with animals
German:
Sodomie
— sexual activity with animals
German:
Zoophilie
— sexual activity with animals
Greek:
κτηνοβασία
(ktinovasía)
— sexual activity with animals
Hebrew:
מִשְׁכַּב בְּהֵמָה
(mishkáv behemá)
— sexual activity with animals
Hindi:
पशुगमन
(paśugman)
— sexual activity with animals
Hindi:
तिर्यग्योनिगमन
(tiryagyonigman)
— sexual activity with animals
Italian:
zoofilia
— sexual activity with animals
Japanese:
獣姦
(jūkan)
— sexual activity with animals
Korean:
수간
(sugan)
— sexual activity with animals
Latin:
bestialitas
— sexual activity with animals
Portuguese:
zoofilia
— sexual activity with animals
Portuguese:
bestialidade
— sexual activity with animals
Portuguese:
bestialismo
— sexual activity with animals
Romanian:
bestialitate
— sexual activity with animals
Russian:
скотоло́жество
(skotolóžestvo)
— sexual activity with animals
Russian:
скотоло́жство
(skotolóžstvo)
— sexual activity with animals
Russian:
зоофили́я
(zoofilíja)
— sexual activity with animals
Serbo-Croatian:
skotološtvo
— sexual activity with animals
Serbo-Croatian:
skotstvo
— sexual activity with animals
Spanish:
bestialidad
— sexual activity with animals
Spanish:
bestialismo
— sexual activity with animals
