Nouns of Assembly
A murder of crows, a charm of finches, a business of ferrets, a paddling of ducks, a superfluity of nuns – and yes, even a barrel of monkeys [Ed: True]. Collective nouns are more poetry than science.
Collective nouns, also known as “nouns of assembly” or “terms of venery”, are favourites of quiz contestants and cruciverbalists (a person skilful in creating or solving crossword puzzles). They have been a popular part of the English language since at least the mid-15th century, when a list – “the Compaynys of Beestys and Fowlys” – of 165 collective names was included in The Book of Saint Albans (1486), a gentlemen’s how-to guide on subjects such as hawking, hunting and heraldry.
Apparently, when it came to discussing these pursuits, the collective nouns used could be signifiers of rank or class, with particular words being reserved for use by the gentry. In her book, An Unkindness of Ravens: A book of collective nouns, author Chloe Rhodes says collective nouns “were created and perpetuated as a means of marking out the aristocracy from the less well-bred masses”. Familiarity with the correct terms was an indication of a good education.
Collective nouns can make reference to the behaviour or habits of the creatures in question, their song or their movements, or the way that humans imagine their personalities. The terms can differ depending on whether the birds, for example, are in flight or hanging about on land or water.
Their beginnings can be hazy. Many of the original, sometimes satirical, meanings have been lost. There are often several explanations for how a term came about. A “murder of crows”, for example, is said to be based on their generally sinister appearance or on a folktale about a group of crows determining the fate of one of their own. Homer Simpson corrected his wife Marge when she described the group of crows sharing their bedroom in a 2002 episode as a gang: “It’s a murder, Honey. A group of crows is called a murder.” Watch below or HERE.
Other collective nouns have origins in popular culture. The term, “a Parliament of Owls”, appeared in C.S. Lewis’ 1953 Narnia novel, The Silver Chair. Lewis was apparently inspired by a late 14th-century Geoffrey Chaucer poem, “The Parlement of Foules”. The poem, credited with the beginnings of the romantic notion of Valentine’s Day, describes a group of birds gathering to choose a mate for the year.
These terms are clearly more poetry than science.
The late James Lipton (1926–2020), writer, actor and host of the American TV show, Inside the Actors Studio, wrote a book, An Exaltation of Larks (1993), which detailed the provenance of more than 1,100 collective nouns. Lipton apparently used to play a game with house guests, inviting them to invent new collective nouns. Any suggestions for the description of a group of REMORANDOM readers? A curiosity, perhaps? A revelation?
Story Idea: Amy Denmeade
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