bestiary

[ bes-chee-er-ee, bees- ]
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noun,plural bes·ti·ar·ies.
  1. a collection of moralized fables, especially as written in the Middle Ages, about actual or mythical animals.

Origin of bestiary

1
1615–25; <Medieval Latin bēstiārium, neuter of Latin bēstiārius.See beast, -ary

Other words from bestiary

  • bes·ti·a·rist [bes-chee-er-ist, -cher-, bees-], /ˈbɛs tʃi ər ɪst, -tʃər-, ˈbis-/, noun

Words Nearby bestiary

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How to use bestiary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bestiary

bestiary

/ (ˈbɛstɪərɪ) /


nounplural -aries
  1. a moralizing medieval collection of descriptions (and often illustrations) of real and mythical animals

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