bestiality

[ bes-chee-al-i-tee, bees- ]
See synonyms for bestiality on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural bes·ti·al·i·ties.
  1. brutish or beastly character or behavior; beastliness.

  2. indulgence in beastlike appetites, instincts, impulses, etc.

  1. an instance of bestial character or behavior.

  2. sexual relations between a person and an animal; sodomy.

Origin of bestiality

1
1350–1400; Middle English bestial(i)te (<Anglo-French, Middle French ) <Medieval Latin bēstiālitās.See bestial, -ity

Words Nearby bestiality

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bestiality in a sentence

  • bestiality; fifteen years penal servitude; conspiracy by servant girl, he says.

    The Criminal | Havelock Ellis
  • They are as deep as bestiality, cunning and strong, cowering in the shadow of the sacred wood.

    King of Camargue | Jean Aicard
  • bestiality is not rare in women who are also subject to this filthy, obnoxious and degenerative practice.

    The Sexual Question | August Forel
  • bestiality of life was once common enough to attract no attention.

    The Meaning of Evolution | Samuel Christian Schmucker

British Dictionary definitions for bestiality

bestiality

/ (ˌbɛstɪˈælɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. bestial behaviour, character, or action

  2. sexual activity between a person and an animal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012