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bête

Bête is a French word with two principal uses. As a noun, it denotes an animal or creature, with the plural form bêtes. As an adjective, bête means stupid or foolish, and it is invariable in form with respect to gender (un homme bête, une bête). In everyday speech the word is common in phrases such as “c’est bête” (that’s stupid) or “quelle bête” (what a fool).

Etymology and forms: bête derives from Latin bestia, through Old French beste or bête. The circumflex over

Common usages and phrases:des bêtes simply means animals; bête noire designates a particular pet peeve or a

Cultural notes: outside of zoological sense, bête serves as a common insult or mild reproach in French,

See also: Beast, La Bête, bête noire, bête de somme.

the
e
reflects
a
historical
loss
of
an
s.
The
feminine
form
is
bête,
and
the
plural
is
bêtes.
The
term
can
function
in
varied
contexts
from
zoological
to
idiomatic.
disliked
thing.
Bête
de
somme
refers
to
a
draft
animal
or
pack
animal.
Bête
à
bon
Dieu
is
a
traditional
name
for
the
ladybug.
The
phrase
La
Bête
du
Gévaudan
refers
to
a
legendary
man-eating
creature
in
18th‑century
France.
In
literature
and
cinema,
La
Bête
or
“the
Beast”
is
frequently
used
as
a
title
or
character
name,
including
translations
of
Beauty
and
the
Beast
(La
Belle
et
la
Bête).
and
appears
in
many
idioms
and
titles.
The
word
also
appears
in
religious
or
folktale
contexts
as
“the
Beast,”
especially
in
translations
and
adaptations
of
fairy
tales
and
Biblical
or
mythical
creatures.