Names for Groups: Characteristic Terms

1. Any collection or assemblage of persons or things; a cluster; an aggregation.
2. A number of people or things ranged or considered together as being related in some way.
3. Venereal terms are those group names that come from traditional terms of the hunt and which have evolved into modern terminology of descriptive group names or collective nouns.

1. Terms of the hunt and groups referred to as: "nouns of multitude", "group terms", and "terms of venery".
2. Etymology: from venery, "practice or sport of hunting, the chase" from early 14th century; from Old French venerie, which came from Latin venari, "to hunt".

There are many group names from traditional terms of the hunt and some current creations that attempt to describe group characteristics.

Such historical nomenclature, or terminology, called Venereal Terms [listed at this page] or Terms of Venery, were said to refer to a gathering of "group names" or collective nouns from the hunt and social functions.

For more information about this segment, see Historical background for terms of Venery.

Venereal terms, or the language of the chase (hunt), were in general use as well-established hunting terms. The names were considered to be the proper terms for groups of beasts, fish, fowls, insects, or whatever was designated and they were "codified in the fifteenth century".

1. The pursuit of or indulgence in sexual pleasure.
2. From Medieval Latin veneria, from Latin venus, vener-, "desire, love".
3. The term venery, is also considered to be an archaic term from Middle English venerie from Old French venerie; which came from Latin venari, "to hunt, to pursue".

Remember that this word is not the same as the venery terms indicated in other entries of this unit!

Go to the following link for more information about the "hunting" venery.