Definition of BEVY

What Makes Up a bevy?

What do you call a group of crows? Or swine? Or leopards? Well-educated members of the medieval gentry seem to have been expected to know the answers: a murder of crows, a sounder of swine, and a leap of leopards. They would also have been expected to know that bevy referred specifically to a group of deer, quail, larks, or young ladies. Scholars aren't certain why bevy was chosen for those groups (though they have theories). What is known for sure is that bevy first appeared in the 15th century and was used as a highly specific collective for many years. Today, however, bevies can include anything from football players to toaster ovens.

Examples of bevy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Just one look at the attendees is proof enough of the Metrograph’s appeal; with a bevy of press-averse directors, actors, musicians, and artists in attendance—all happily trudged through the evening's pouring rain weather to get there. — Keaton Bell, Vogue, "The Coolest New Yorkers Came Out to Celebrate the Metrograph Theater's Third Birthday," 25 Mar. 2019 What could go wrong with a secret government plot and an unpredictable bevy of mutants? — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "The 2019 Sci-Fi TV Guide," 16 Jan. 2019 Get to know a bevy of the world’s most famous actresses—Eiza González, Léa Seydoux, Angelababy, Golshifteh Farahani, Elizabeth Debicki, Adesua Etomi, Hera Hilmar, Deepika Padukone, and Scarlett Johansson—in a good old-fashioned game show format. — Vogue, "Hollywood, Nollywood, Bollywood Squared," 14 Mar. 2019 Microsoft What’s less certain is whether Microsoft is committed to refreshing more niche products like the Surface Studio, which launched with a bevy of mobile parts and a massive, show-stopping display. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft announces October 2 event: New Surface devices inbound?," 7 Sep. 2018 The thinking is that as the ice age ended and the enormous Laurentide ice sheet atop North America began to retreat, the resulting meltwater fed a bevy of large lakes atop the depressed surface of the continent. — Christopher Mooney, BostonGlobe.com, "Scientists may have solved a huge riddle that led to more than 1,000 years of cold on Earth. It doesn’t bode well," 12 July 2018 Consumers have immediate access to those heritage acts through streaming platforms, a bevy of SiriusXM satellite channels or classic country terrestrial formats, which were scarce in previous decades. — Tom Roland, Billboard, "Country's Roots Are Showing as New Releases Embrace Old-School Sounds," 11 July 2018 There were the Italian icons led by actress Monica Bellucci, who opened the collection in a slinky polka-dot number followed by a bevy of supermodels. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Can Anything Top Dolce & Gabbana’s Star-Studded Spring Cast?," 23 Sep. 2018 Designer Veronica Etro hosted a bevy of fashion names at the stylish restaurant Bice, including models Gemma Ward, He Cong, and Alek Wek (all three dressed in the label); Vogue’s Hamish Bowles; Mexican Vogue’s Karla Martinez; and many more. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Viva Milano! Etro Celebrates Fashion Week With a Private Dinner Heavy on the Milanese Charm," 24 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bevy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.