![]() ![]() “Sloth” is derived from the Middle English word for “slow.” (There’s also an ursine species known as the “sloth bear.”) For no reason except fun, a group of pandas is known as an “embarrassment,” and a party of polar bears is called a “celebration.”Īmericans call them “buffalo,” but the shaggy species that once covered the Great Plains is properly known as “bison.” And sure, we could just refer to a group of these large and stubborn creatures as a “herd,” but it’s much more fun to address them by their other collective noun - an “obstinancy.” Why an obstinancy? Ask anyone who has ever had their car blocked by them at Yellowstone, and you’ll have your answer. ![]() The proper term for a group of bears is a “sleuth” or a “sloth.” Though bears aren’t related to the lethargic South American mammal, the words for the collective noun and the permanently smiling creature do share the same root. So it should come as no surprise that both their collective noun (“flamboyance”) and their name (“flamingo”) derive from French and Spanish (respectively) forms of the Latin word flamma, which means “flame.” Other fun bird words: A group of owls is known as a “parliament” or a “looming” (eerie!), and a gathering of peacocks is an “ostentation.” These outrageously pink birds basically define “flamboyance,” with their gracefully curved necks, dramatic habit of perching on one long leg, and their Barbie-pink or scarlet plumage. Many of these terms originated (or at least were first recorded) in a book from 1486 called The Book of Hawking, Hunting and Blasing of Arms, by Julia Berners - thought to be the first woman published in the English language. We’re all familiar with “a herd of sheep” and “a flock of birds,” but here are six fun and unexpected collective nouns for other animals. Collective nouns are nouns that refer to groups of people, objects, or - our fun for today - animals.
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