beastie

American  

[bee-stee] / ˈbi sti /

noun

1. Chiefly Literary. a small animal, especially one toward which affection is felt.

2. Facetious. an insect; bug.

3. Canadian Slang (chiefly Alberta). construction worker.

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beastie British  

/ ˈbiːstɪ /

noun

1. a small animal

2. informal an insect

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Etymology

Origin of beastie

First recorded in 1775–85; beast + -ie

Explanation

A beastie is a small animal, especially a cute, wild one like a chipmunk, or a beloved, domesticated one like a pet. Someone might even refer to an insect, such as a ladybug or a cricket, as a beastie. As you might've guessed, beastie comes from beast, another word for "animal." The -ie added to the end is a diminutive suffix — it's used to indicate something or someone small, cute, or dear. You see it at the end of kiddie, for example. It often has the form -y, as in froggy for a little frog, and it's often attached to a person's name, as in Jeanie or Billy. There it expresses affection even if the person is not small — or cute.

Related Words

• animal
• creature
• wild animal