bestiary

noun

bes·​ti·​ary ˈbes-chē-ˌer-ē 

-ˌe-rē,

ˈbesh-,

ˈbēs-,

ˈbēsh-

plural bestiaries

1

: a medieval allegorical or moralizing work on the appearance and habits of real or imaginary animals

2

a

: a collection of descriptions or representations of real or imaginary animals

b

: an array of real humans or literary characters often having symbolic significance

3

: an unusual or whimsical collection

a truly astounding bestiary of airplane designs

—Peter Garrison

Examples of bestiary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the bestiary, the animals representing the sins were related to animals that existed. —John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Aug. 2024

That creature, in turn, can be traced back to medieval bestiaries as a type of whale called aspidochelone, first mentioned in a 2nd-century CE Alexandrian manuscript called the Physiologus. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Mar. 2023

Though his catalogue of catastrophe is real, what one most remembers are the beasts in his bestiary. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023

Confidential, precious and poetic qualities infuse her creations that portray a dreamlike universe, from fantastical bestiary to enchanted mineral forest. —Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin bestiarium, from Latin, neuter of bestiarius of beasts, from bestia

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1