plural bevies
1
: a large group or collection
a bevy of girls
2
: a group of animals and especially quail

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What makes up a bevy?

There’s no need to quail when confronted with a word of uncertain origins; some mysteries are simply destined to remain as such. Etymologists have a bevy of theories about the roots of bevy, for example, but little definitive evidence—and that’s okay! What we do know is that bevy emerged out of Middle English as the collective noun for a number of birds and mammals that were commonly hunted, including pheasants, partridges, roe deer, larks, and especially quail. Bevy is still used in this way today, not only for wild game but for gulls, hens, etc. But bevies are now most often composed of a great many people and things, as in “a bevy of reporters” or “a bevy of menu options.”

Examples of bevy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is an ooey, gooey, and fresh werewolf flick with a bevy of nauseating practical effects and the sort of winking cinematic homages for which director Joe Dante is best known. EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024 Spooky season is upon us, which means a bevy of new thrillers, slashers and monster features. Theara Coleman, theweek, 25 Oct. 2024 This Dyson comes with a bevy of attachments and accessories that'll make cleaning various surfaces that much easier. Gabriela Vatu, PCMAG, 22 Oct. 2024 Recent technical advancements in AI’s ability to reason and carry out multi-step processes have led to a bevy of startups building AI agents that can code programs or perform complex legal research. Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bevy 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bevey

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bevy was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near bevy

Cite this Entry

“Bevy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bevy. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

bevy

noun
plural bevies
: a large group
a bevy of girls

More from Merriam-Webster on bevy

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