bête noire

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French bête noire (literally “black beast”).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /beɪtˈnwɑː/
(General American) IPA^(key): /bɛt ˈnwɑɹ/

Noun

bête noire (plural bêtes noires)

An anathema; someone or something which is particularly disliked or avoided; an object of aversion, the bane of one’s existence.

Translations

an anathema

Basque: piztia beltza
Catalan: bèstia negra f
Danish: banemand (da)
Finnish: inhokki (fi)
French: bête noire (fr) f
Galician: besta negra f
Hebrew: כבשה שחורה‎ (he) m or f (Kivsá Shxorá)

Manx: ard-ghwoaieid f
Persian: موی دماغ‎, ادم مزاحم و غیر قابل تحمل‎
Polish: czarny lud m anim
Portuguese: besta negra f
Russian: жу́пел (ru) m (žúpel)
Spanish: bestia negra (es) f
Swedish: vildsvin (sv) n, fasa (sv) c, avsky (sv) c

See also

References

“bete noire” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.

French

Etymology

Literally "black beast". This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bɛt nwaʁ/

Noun

bête noire f (plural bêtes noires)

bête noire, pet hate, pet peeve

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