Obs. exc. Sc. Forms: 4 beestaile, 4–5 bestayle, -lle, 4–7 bestaile; also 5–7 beastial, bestiall(e, -yal(l, (7 beastal, bestuall), 8 bestail, -eill, 6– bestial. (As sing. 6 bestyll.) [Two forms: α. ME. bestaile, a. OF. bestaille (sing: fem.):—L. bestiālia, used in late L. in sense of L. pecudes cattle, beasts of the farm, pl. neut. of bestiālis adj. (see below), f. bestia BEAST; β. mod.Eng. and Sc. bestial, a. OF. bestial (still in 17th c., now dial.), sing. of mod.F. bestiaux, later substantive use of bestial adj., ad. L. bestiālis.]
1. A collective term for domestic animals, especially of the bovine kind, kept for food or tillage. It took the place of the OE. féoh, ME. fee; and has, since 17th c., been displaced in England by cattle, but is retained in Scotland as a legal and technical word of the farm.
α. a. 1300. Cursor M., 2444. Be-twyx him and loth his neuow Of bestaile [Cott. fee, Fairf. bestayle, Trin. beestaile] hade þai plente enow.
1393. Gower, Conf., II. 138. And that they shulde also forth drawe Bestaile.
1433. E. E. Wills (1882), 95. Alle the meuable Catell of bestall that y haue in Sussex.
1481. Earl Worc., Tulle on Friendsh., C j b. To gete them grete plente of bestaylle.
[1607. Cowell has Bestaile; 1678 Phillips, Beastal; 1721 Bailey, Bestail; obs.]
β. a. 1470. Tiptoft, Cæsar, xiii. (1530), 18. There was found a great nomber of bestyall.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, III. 5. Als bestiall … Weyle helpyt ar be wyrken of natur.
1510. Act 1 Hen. VIII., xx. § 1. Every maner of fresshe fysshe, bestyall and wyne.
1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., IX. xv. 41. Leauing the Country bare of men and bestiall.
1631. Heylin, Sabbath, II. (1636), 171. Hee might … kill and skinne his bestiall which were fit for sale.
a. 1670. Spalding, Troub. Chas. I. (1829), 96. They … lived royally upon the corns and bestial of the said ground.
1828. Scott, F. M. Perth, I. 22. It is not my business where they get the bestial, so I get the hides.
1833. Act 3 & 4 Will. IV., xlvi. § 83. No person shall drive cattle or bestial of any description on Sunday through … such burgh.
2. A single beast; (with plural.)
c. 1430. Lydg., IV. in Cleveland, Wks. (1687), 388. Void of Discretion that other Beastial.
a. 1450. Knt. de la Tour (1868), 103. Alle his bestailes and richesses.
1562. J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 56. A good bestyll is woorth a grote.
1670. Blount, Law Dict., Bestials, Beasts or Cattle of any sort … generally and properly used for all kind of Cattle.
1725. Bradley, Fam. Dict., Besteills.
a. 1788. Mickle, Ode, i. (R.). No joy, no hope it knows Above what bestials claim.
1813. Sismondi’s Lit. Eur. (1846), II. xxxviii. 523. And each lulled in his shade, The bestials sleep.
1863. J. Keble, Bp. Wilson, viii. 280. The produce of the island, their ‘bestials’ especially.
