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Webster 1913 Edition


Bevy

Bev′y

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Bevies
.
[Perhaps orig. a drinking company, fr. OF.
bevée
(cf. It.
beva
) a drink, beverage; then, perh., a company in general, esp. of ladies; and last applied by sportsmen to larks, quails, etc. See
Beverage
.]
1.
A company; an assembly or collection of persons, especially of ladies.
What a
bevy
of beaten slaves have we here !
Beau. & Fl.
2.
A flock of birds, especially quails or larks; also, a herd of roes.

Webster 1828 Edition


Bevy

BEV'Y

,
Noun.
[I know not the origin or affinities of this word. The etymologies I have seen are not worth notice.]
A flock of birds;hence, a company; an assembly or collection of persons; usually applied to females.

Definition 2024


bevy

bevy

English

Noun

bevy (plural bevies)

  1. (collective) A group of animals, in particular quail.
  2. (collective) A large group or collection.
  3. (collective) A group of female humans; chiefly said of schoolgirls.
    • 2013 June 7, David Simpson, Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:
      Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.

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