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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
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 14 July 2025
There is a bevy of reasons why a tax return gets delayed.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 10 July 2025
The bespoke watch features a bevy of diamonds on the bezel and the hour markers.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 9 July 2025
Even as teams searched on the afternoon of June 22 for the two people missing near D.L. Bliss, representatives from a bevy of agencies involved in the prior day’s response gathered for a formal debrief meeting at the South Lake Tahoe police headquarters.
—Ethan Wolin
updated July 4, Sacbee.com, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bevy
Cite this Entry
“Bevy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bevy. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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