bevy

\ ˈbe-vē

How to pronounce bevy (audio)

\

plural bevies

Definition of bevy

1 : a large group or collection a bevy of girls

2 : a group of animals and especially quail

What Makes Up a bevy? More Example Sentences Learn More about bevy

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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 Mr Johnson’s declaration was met with lamentation from all sides, including Conservatives such as David Cameron, his predecessor-but-one as prime minister, and a bevy of Tory former ministers in charge of dispensing aid. — The Economist, "A Boris bombshell in Whitehall British diplomats and donors are told to merge," 20 June 2020 Earlier this month, his court turned away a bevy of other challenges to states' gun restrictions. — Richard Wolf, USA TODAY, "Aligning with liberals on DACA and LGBTQ rights, Chief Justice John Roberts asserts his independence," 20 June 2020 The big winner yesterday was Spotify, which hit an all-time high after the streaming service announced a bevy of content deals. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, "Investors brace for ‘quadruple witching’ markets turbulence. What’s quadruple witching?," 19 June 2020 The drugmaker is one of a bevy of biotech and pharmaceutical companies world-wide whose share prices have reacted sharply to developments related to the potential progress toward a Covid-19 vaccine or treatment. — Juliet Chung, WSJ, "Shares of Martin Shkreli’s Former Company Surge on Limited Coronavirus-Drug Study," 15 June 2020 There’s a bevy of reasons for that, the main one being that leading a bird properly at longer distances is damn tough. — Joe Genzel, Outdoor Life, "6 Tips for Becoming a Crack Shot with Your Shotgun Inside 40 Yards," 10 June 2020 So how can a rising bevy of beginners work towards affecting positive change to prevent another Central Park calamity? — Amanda Randone, refinery29.com, "Beanie Jean Shares What You Need To Know Before Getting Into Birding," 10 June 2020 The Nittany Lions return quarterback Sean Clifford and a bevy of contributors on defense, including star linebacker Micah Parsons. — Rainer Sabin, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football roundtable: Who's the toughest opponent for 2020 — after Ohio State?," 8 June 2020 Khudobin made 45 saves this night against the Lightning, including a bevy of upper-echelon saves on the power play, on odd-man rushes and on rebounds. — Matthew Defranks, Dallas News, "‘They make my job easy’: Breaking down the brilliance of Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin," 7 June 2020

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.

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Last Updated

23 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Bevy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bevy. Accessed 4 Jul. 2020.

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