Pestato

Pestato is the past participle of the Italian verb pestare, meaning to beat, strike, or mistreat physically. In common usage, pestato functions as an adjective or passive participle to describe a person who has suffered physical harm as a result of an assault, or an object that has been struck. The term is typically used in informal or journalistic language; more neutral or formal alternatives include picchiato for "beaten" and maltrattato for "mistreated." The form agrees with gender and number: pestato (masculine singular), pestata (feminine singular), pestati, pestate (plural).

In reports of violence, medical or legal contexts, pestato may appear as part of a description of injuries: for example, "una persona pestata durante una rissa." It emphasizes physical harm resulting from an attack and is distinct from other forms of abuse such as psychological harm; for broader or ongoing abuse, terms like maltrattamento or violenza may be used.

Etymology: pestato is derived directly from the verb pestare, which means to strike or beat, and is formed as the passive participle used to indicate someone who has been harmed by such actions. While widely understood in Italian, pestato is less formal than some alternatives and is more likely to appear in everyday speech, crime reports, or narrative descriptions.

See also: pestaggio, aggressione, violenza.