n
ā, f. (Lat. bestia) also béist, biast, an older form;
n
p.
béssti,
Wb. 31b21
. In Mid.Ir. both forms are used side by
side, but píast (péist) is commoner and ultimately prevails in Ireland (cf.
biast/biasd
in Scotland).
n
s.
in pheist
,
LU 2428
.
9101
(
FB 85
). g
s.
bíasta,
9153
(
FB 39
).
n
p.
bíasta,
8762
(
FB 57
):
bésti,
PH 7587
, but
pésti,
7670
.
péisd
béisd,
IGT Dec. § 43
. g
s. píasda, ib.
ex. 1126
. d
p.
ar
bhíasdaibh
,
ex. 1125
.
A beast, monster
, in early lit. generally of fabulous monsters,
rarely of wild beasts in general; in sagas and folk-lore of
marine or more commonly sublacustrine monsters, often
bearing special names and in hagiogr. lit. freq. ejected by the
power of saints; an outbreak of pestilence was somet. ascribed
to the ravages of a ` píast'; cf. the Life of Mac Creiche,
Misc. Hag. Hib. 36 § 49
: da ttangatar tedmanna mora . . . .i. an gríbh
ingnech ┐ an bhuidhe Connuill ┐ in bolccsighi ┐ in gerrghar
┐ in broicseach Locha Broicsighi .i. pést. Cf. also:
peist
quasi pestis .i. teidm,
Corm. Y 1067
. béssti olca, gl. malae
bestiae,
Wb. 31b21
. no chodlad eter na hilphiasta wild beasts,
PH 875
.
co mbia tríur óigred oc fir husarachta .i. bésti ┐
nathracha ┐ cruma; beit a maíne oc na piastaib,
7587
-
8
(= serpentes et bestias et vermes, Ecclesiasticus x 13
).
tri caittini . . . .i. tri bíasta druidechta,
FB 57
. airm i mbia . . . in pheist
irdairc úathmar ilchennach (i.e. the Devil),
LU 2428
=
RC
iv 252.25
.
piasta ifrinn,
BNnÉ 216 § 95
.
ilpesti ithfrinn,
RC
xxviii 320 § 39
. Of marine or lacustrine monsters
:
cidh ara
tuc in bheist isin mhuir anoir do Brigit,
Lism. L. 1729
.
o bhél
na péiste,
BNnÉ 72 § 127
= an t-iascc adhbalmhór, ib.
le
piastaibh an aigéoin,
73 § 130
.
don pheist ro boí isind loch,
FB 83
.
gaibthi in béist assind uisci,
LL 250a51
=
a mmíl,
250b7
(
TBFr. 229
,
236
).
peisd adhuathmur . . . Cathach a
hainm,
Lism. L. 1840
(of a monster inhabiting Inis Cathaigh).
Of locusts:
atát péste i n-aroile randaib thair . . . brucha a
n-anman,
Ériu ii 192 § 3
(cf. Lat. bruchus,
Levit. xi 22
).
frisin
béist re n-abar locusta,
PH 7651
.
In later lit. a creeping reptile, esp. a worm:
nach ferr duit do
t[h]omuilt dūinne . . . inā do thomhuilt do phiasdaib na talman?,
Marco P. 164
.
an cholann do chor i n-uaimh . . . i
gcaidreabh crumh ┐ chiaróg ┐ phiast ndochraidh . . . archeana,
TSh. 1109
.
péiste géara na dtuambaoi . . . doghéanaid ort
féasta,
Keat. Poems 363
. peste worms,
Rosa Angl. 132.18
.
pestida,
121.16
. peiste cruime, gl. lumbrici,
23 K 42, 38.15
.
piastaidhe an tsíoda
silkworms
,
Corp. Astron. 64.19
. an
phiast palmer . . . an péist chancair the palmerworm . . . the
cankerworm,
Joel i 4
. péist, mialtog, gadmuin, miolcrion
`a moth',
Eg. Gl. 417
.
Fig. of human beings
; gé nach bfuilmaoid acht 'nar bpiasdaibh though we are but worms,
Carswell
187.18
. Of ships
:
do chuireadar amach a bpiasda uathmhara,
ML 44.23
.