Considering the increasing diversity of fictional creatures, popular culture needs not only specialized definitions, but also generalized ones. Words such as anthropoanimal, anthropobovine and anthropocow are easy to use to name an anthropomorphic creature whose base is a strictly defined animal. But what if a hybrid of different creatures or even materials is used as the base of a creature? Moreover, what words to use when a creator or client simply doesn't need precise definitions to design a fictional creature?

To solve the aforementioned problems, it's worth considering the use of a generalized definition. Fortunately, for centuries, human culture has used such a simple definition as "beast".

Beast is any non-human creature.

Due to its broad generalization, this definition can be used for at least two purposes. Firstly, any non-human creature can be called a beast - from real animals and mythical creatures, to extraterrestrial and fundamentally different forms of life. Secondly, the word "beast" can be used when there is no data about a specific type of a creature, or when this data is intentionally hidden.