bister

English

Noun

bister (countable and uncountable, plural bisters)

  1. Alternative spelling of bistre.

Anagrams

North Frisian

Etymology

Possibly cognate with West Frisian bjuster (“unusual, strange”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈb̥ɪstɐ]

Adjective

bister (comparative bisterer, superlative bisterst)

  1. (Sylt) angry
    Synonyms: ārig, wreer

Slovene

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bystrъ.

Adjective

bíster (comparative bístrejši, superlative nȁjbístrejši)

  1. clear (transparent)
  2. smart, bright, sharp

Further reading

  • “bister”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2025

Swedish

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Low German bister. Attested since 1665.

Adjective

bister (comparative bistrare, superlative bistrast)

  1. (of a person, expression, or the like) serious and hard; grim, stern, etc.
    Rektorn satt med en bister min i rektorsexpeditionen när jag kom in
    The principal was sitting with a stern look on his face in the principal's office when I entered
    "Vi är körda", sa han bistert
    "We're screwed," he said grimly
  2. grim, bitter, harsh (often of weather conditions and the like)
    den bistra kylan
    the bitter cold
    den bistra vintern
    the cold, harsh winter
    den bistra verkligheten
    the grim reality
    den bistra sanningen
    the bitter truth
    bistra tider
    hard times
Declension
Inflection of bister
Indefinite positive comparative superlative1
common singular bister bistrare bistrast
neuter singular bistert bistrare bistrast
plural bistra bistrare bistrast
masculine plural2 bistre bistrare bistrast
Definite positive comparative superlative
masculine singular3 bistre bistrare bistraste
all bistra bistrare bistraste

1 The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
2 Dated or archaic.
3 Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French bistre. Attested since 1784.

Noun

bister n

  1. bistre (pigment)
Declension
Declension of bister
nominative genitive
singular indefinite bister bisters
definite bistret bistrets
plural indefinite — —
definite — —

References

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