bestengusu

Basque

FWOTD – 9 July 2024

Alternative forms

• bestelengusu, bertzengusu

Etymology

From beste (“other”) +‎ lehengusu (“male cousin”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bes̺tenɡus̺u/ [bes̺.t̪eŋ.ɡu.s̺u]
• Rhymes: -us̺u, -u
• Hyphenation: bes‧ten‧gu‧su

Noun

bestengusu inan

1. (rare) male second cousin

   Synonyms: lehengusu txiki, izter-lehengusu, bigarren lehengusu

   Coordinate term: bestengusina (“female second cousin”)

   • c. 1808, Juan Bautista Aguirre, Eracusaldiac [Lessons]‎^[1], Tolosa, published 1850, page 560:

     Aidetasun au iristen da laugarren mallaraño, eta emendic eciñ ezcondu ditezque elcarrequin senideac, lengusu, bestengusu, eta erengusuac.

     [Aidetasun au iristen da laugarren mallaraño, eta emendik eziñ ezkondu ditezke elkarrekin senideak, lengusu, bestengusu eta erengusuak.]

     This kinship reaches the fourth level, and thus siblings, cousins, second cousins and third cousins cannot marry each other.

Declension

Declension of bestengusu (animate, ending in vowel)

	indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive	bestengusu	bestengusua	bestengusuak
ergative	bestengusuk	bestengusuak	bestengusuek
dative	bestengusuri	bestengusuari	bestengusuei
genitive	bestengusuren	bestengusuaren	bestengusuen
comitative	bestengusurekin	bestengusuarekin	bestengusuekin
causative	bestengusurengatik	bestengusuarengatik	bestengusuengatik
benefactive	bestengusurentzat	bestengusuarentzat	bestengusuentzat
instrumental	bestengusuz	bestengusuaz	bestengusuez
inessive	bestengusurengan	bestengusuarengan	bestengusuengan
locative	—	—	—
allative	bestengusurengana	bestengusuarengana	bestengusuengana
terminative	bestengusurenganaino	bestengusuarenganaino	bestengusuenganaino
directive	bestengusurenganantz	bestengusuarenganantz	bestengusuenganantz
destinative	bestengusurenganako	bestengusuarenganako	bestengusuenganako
ablative	bestengusurengandik	bestengusuarengandik	bestengusuengandik
partitive	bestengusurik	—	—
prolative	bestengusutzat	—	—

Further reading

• “bestengusu”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “bestengusu”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005