Translation
something silly, a daft thing to do; stupidity
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Word origin
From bête ('beast'; also 'stupid') with the noun suffix -ise. Bête itself comes from Latin bestia ('beast'), so a bêtise is literally a piece of beastliness in the sense of witlessness.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- bestia
- English cognates
- beast, bestial
Grammar
Examples
.
Do not do anything silly while I am away.
, .
I said something daft, forget it.
.
The children have got up to something silly in the garden again.
.
It is a foolish thing to set off without a map.
, Cambrai .
In the north of France, bêtises de Cambrai are mint sweets.
Where this fits
Used in
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French · Free printables
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Free printable study downloads for the French word "bêtise" (something silly, a daft thing to do; stupidity): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free week (no card)This word is taught in chapter 22, lesson 8: bêtise, commissaire, affronter and 7 more words.