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bevy - 4 dictionary results

bev⋅y

  [bev-ee]
Use bevy in a Sentence
–noun, plural bev⋅ies.
1. a group of birds, as larks or quail, or animals, as roebuck, in close association.
2. a large group or collection: a bevy of boisterous sailors.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME bevey, of obscure orig.

Synonyms:
1. covey, flight; brood. 2. assembly, company.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bev·y   (běv'ē)   
n.   pl. bev·ies
  1. A group of animals or birds, especially larks or quail. See Synonyms at flock1.
  2. A group or an assemblage: a bevy of beauties.

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman bevee.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Bevy

Bev"y\, n.; pl. Bevies. [Perhaps orig. a drinking company, fr. OF. bev['e]e (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's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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bevy 
c.1430, collective noun of quails and ladies, from Anglo-Fr. bevée, of unknown origin. One supposed definition of the word is "a drinking bout," but this is perhaps a misprint of bever, from O.Fr. beivre (see beverage). Still, it's possible that the original sense could be a company of birds gathered at a puddle or pool for drinking or bathing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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