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.