bevy

noun \ ˈbe-vē \

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Editor's Note: What Makes Up a bevy?

Definition of bevy

plural bevies

1 : a large group or collection

a bevy of girls

2 : a group of animals and especially quail

See bevy defined for English-language learners

See bevy defined for kids

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Recent Examples of bevy from the Web

Writer Michael Adno grew up in Sarasota, Florida, home to an unusually large bevy of palmists, mediums, and others able to connect with unseen spirits and energies.

— krista stevens, Longreads, "You Don’t Move to Sarasota, the Spirit Moves You," 10 July 2018
This doesn't mean Green, 32, and Vanek, 34, can't help the bevy of youngsters in the locker room or on the way.

— shawn windsor, Detroit Free Press, "Did Detroit Red Wings help or hurt rebuild with veteran signings?," 8 July 2018
Cheryl said the few medals Robert was awarded years ago were lost in a move, the replacement process unearthed the bevy of honors Robert qualified for, however getting the medals took a while because of the Marine Corps’ verification process.

— maya moore, Courant Community, "Courtney Hosts Ceremony To Present Military Medals to Vietnam Veteran In Niantic," 6 July 2018
Ramirez and company will be joining a bevy of other big-name talent along the shores of Wolf Lake for the festival’s lineup of free concerts.

— bob kostanczuk, Post-Tribune, "Festival of the Lakes salutes '90s music," 5 July 2018
Four decades later a bevy of economic studies provide some vindication for Mr Wilson.

— The Economist, "The wage gap between white and black men is growing wider," 5 July 2018
The Convenience Package added $2,000 for adaptive cruise control, power folding seat, heated wiper blades, and more, while the Vision and Advanced packages totaled $3,000 for a bevy of safety features.

— scott sturgis, Philly.com, "Driving the 2018 Volvo XC60," 5 July 2018
Happy July 4 Independence Day, Harford County! There are plenty of fun things planned for Wednesday including parades in Kingsville and Bel Air, plus fireworks and a bevy of activities for folks of all ages during Bel Air’s day-long celebration.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Harford is ready to celebrate our nation's birthday," 4 July 2018
But the fact remains, supported by a bevy of consumer debt statistics, retirement readiness statistics, and the personal savings rate, there’s a tremendously large portion of our population that simply doesn’t care.

— peter dunn, Indianapolis Star, "Pete the Planner: First step you must take to financial security," 27 June 2018

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.

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.