bestiary
noun
a collection of moralized fables, especially as written in the Middle Ages, about actual or mythical animals.
bestiaries
-
pluralof bestiary.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Such animals were found in bestiaries, which were illustrated books offering the most popular sources of information about animals, real or imaginary, during the Middle Ages.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2024
Medieval bestiaries were books that served as compendiums of creatures both fantastic and real.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2019
The purpose of animals in medieval bestiaries, for example, was to give us lessons in how to live.
From New York Times ● May 16, 2017
She is a magpie, plucking language from myriad arenas: bestiaries, business documents, tourist pamphlets.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 13, 2016
However, a closer examination of Muggle bestiaries of that period demonstrates that most magical beasts either escaped Muggle notice completely or were mistaken for something else.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
