bevy
(ˈbɛvɪ)
Forms: 5 bevey, beuye, beue, 5–7 beuy, 6 beve, (bevvy), 6–7 beavie, beauie, beuie, bevie, 7–9 beavy, 5– bevy.
[Derivation and early history unknown; ME. bevey, beue answers in form to OF. bevee, buvee ‘drink, drinking’ (in mod.F., a drink of water thickened with meal for beasts). This seems to correspond, with difference of conjugation (bevée:— *bevāta), to It. bevuta ‘drinking-bout, a draught’; cf. also beva ‘drink, liquor, potion, drench’ (Baretti) with beva ‘a beavie’ in Florio. To explain the Eng. sense, it has been conjectured that bevy may have passed from the sense of ‘drinking-bout’ to ‘drinking-party,’ and to ‘party’ or ‘company’ generally: but of this there is no known evidence. These old names for companies of men and animals are however very fantastical and far-fetched, as may be seen in the first three works quoted.]
1. The proper term for a company of maidens or ladies, of roes, of quails, or of larks.
| c 1430 Bk. Hawkyng in Rel. Ant. I. 296 A covey of pertrich, a bevey of quayles, and eye of fesaunts. c 1470 Hors, Shepe, & G. (1822) 30 A beuye of larkes, A beuye of ladyes, A beuye of quayles, A beuye of roos. 1486 Bk. St. Albans F v j, A Beuy of Ladies, a Beuy of Roos, a Beuy of Quaylis. 1579 E. K. in Spenser's Sheph. Cal. Apr. 118 gloss., They say a Beuie of Larkes. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. iv. 4 None heere he hopes In all this Noble Beuy. 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 582 A Beavie of fair Women, richly gay. 1678 Phillips s.v. Bevy, The Foresters say a Bevy of Roes. 1725 Pope Odyss. vi. 98 Around, a beavy of bright damsels shone. 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict., Beavy of Quails, a Term that imports only a Brood of young Quails. 1808 Scott Marm. ii. xiv, A bevy of the maids of heaven. |
2. transf. A company of any kind; rarely, a collection of objects.
| 1603 B. Jonson Entertm. Wks. (1692) 314 A bevy of Fairies. 1611 Beaum. & Fl. King & No K. v. 59 What a beavy of beaten slaves are here? 1688 Villiers (Dk. Buckhm.) Chances Wks. (1714) 110 When you've purchas'd A Beavy of those Butter-prints. a 1774 Goldsm. Double Transform. 53 She kept a bevy Of powder'd coxcombs. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 365 The whole bevy of renegades. 1861 A. Beresford-Hope Eng. Cathedr. 164 A basilica sheltering a bevy of minor altars. |
3. Comb., as † bevy-grease, the fat of a roe-deer.
| 1610 J. Guillim Heraldry iii. xiv. (1660) 166 The fat of a Roe is termed Bevy Greace. 1616 Bullokar, Beuiegreace, the fat of a row Deere. |