Besta is one of those words in Portuguese that has so many meanings that it’s worth taking a closer look at.
1. Animal, particularly a four-legged animal used for cargo, like a donkey
Examples: besta de carga (beast of burden)
Ele comprou a besta para transportar seus produtos. He bought the animal to transport his products
2. Beast, as in a scary animal
Example: No pesadelo, apareceu uma besta horrorosa. In the nightmare, a horrible beast appeared.
3. A crossbow
Example: Ele tem muitas armas, inclusive uma besta. He has a lot of weapons, even a crossbow.
4. A dumb, unintelligent person (slang)
Examples: Essa mulher tem nada na cabeça, é totalmente besta. That woman is brainless; she’s totally dumb.
besta quadrada – a very dumb person
4. Pretentious
Example: Que menino besta! Quem ele pensa que é? What an arrogant kid! Who does he think he is?
5. Something stupid or obnoxious (slang)
Examples: Quem inventou essa expressão besta? Who invented that dumb expression?
besteira – something silly or stupid
6. Insignificant
Example: Uma noite besta acabou sendo a mais importante da minha vida. An unimportant night wound up being the most important of my life.
