Written for our Silly Linguistics magazine
By Catherine Muxworthy
Collective names – such as a pride of lions, a swarm of bees or a pack of dogs – are used to describe a group of the same animal together. Many of these terms were created during medieval times by and for the upper classes of society, written down and recorded in books of etiquette so that aristocratic people could avoid embarrassment while out hunting or fishing and, of course, separate the gentry from the peasants. The main resource for these collective nouns is The Book of Saint Albans, originally printed 1486. Many of the terms in this book are commonly used in modern-day such as a gaggle of geese.
Other collective nouns for animals (and other groups), however, are more modern in their creation but today there is no official list of collective nouns as English. The most interesting thing about collective nouns is that the ‘official’ recognised terms aren’t approved by anyone keeping records but are instead just the most commonly used ones.
Rhinoceroses: While many may think that a group of rhinos is called a herd, they are actually called a ‘crash’. It is believed that they were given this humorous, modern, identification because a rhino can run up to 30 miles per hour but their eyesight is so bad they can only see about 30 feet ahead of them. They called a crash, therefore, because a group of rhinos will run together, confidently at full speed even if they’re not sure what’s ahead of them.
Owls: Although owls are rarely seen in a group, there is a collective noun for them; A Parliament of Owls. It is unclear exactly where this term came from, however, owls have been long associated with knowledge and wisdom. In ancient Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom, Athena, was often accompanied by or represented by an owl. This description of owls was cemented in C.S. Lewis’ children’s book series, The Chronicles of Narnia.
“Now” said Glimfeather, “I think we are all here. Let us hold a Parliament of Owls” The Silver Chair C.S Lewis”
Hyenas: A group of hyenas is, unsurprisingly, called a cackle due to the sound the animals produce that is shrill and sounds a lot like hysterical, human laughter.
Elephants: A herd of elephants is actually often referred to as a ‘memory’. This terms is used because elephants have strong family ties, high intelligence, and a reputation of having long memories.
Giraffes: A group of giraffes has also been given a humorous name. Their most popular collective noun is a ‘tower’ of giraffes presumably due to their height, as their heads can often be seen high above the trees on a horizon.
Cats: Many people will have heard a group of kittens being referred to as a ‘litter’ but less people, perhaps, will know that a group of adult cats is called a clowder. According to dictionary.com, the term clowder originates from the word ‘clodder’. In the late 1700s, the term ‘clodder’ was used to refer to a ‘clotted mass’. The term evolved over the years to become the currently used ‘clowder’.
Crows: A flock of crows has been described as a ‘murder’ as far back as the 15th century. It is suggested that this name is associated with the screaming sound that crows make. The origin may also come from the scavenging nature of crows and other corvids (jackdaw, rook, raven, magpie, jay and chough). Historically, the presence of gallows and battlefields will have provided pickings for these birds, thus associating them with death in much of folklore and superstition. Much folklore is rather dark and macabre, including the idea that crows will peck out the eyes of their victims to gain their excellent vision. Some of this mythology was originally associated with ravens rather than crows but due to the difficulty many people have in identifying the different black corvids these folklores transferred between the two species.
Sloths: The collective noun for sloths is a relatively modern one. The Sloth Conservation Foundation asked their 125,000 social media followers what they thought a group of sloths should be called. A ‘snuggle’ of sloths beat out a ‘smile’, ‘siesta’, and ‘slumber’, making it the most popular term. Although it is rare to see a snuggle of sloths in the wild anyway.
Zebras: A herd of zebras can be called a ‘dazzle’. This is because some zoologists think that zebras used their distinctive black and white stripes as camouflage when they’re together as a large group in order to confuse predators by making it harder for them to pick out individual zebras from the crowd. Zebras are, however also sometimes simply called a herd (like a group of horses) or a zeal.
There are countless other collective nouns for animals available to choose from including; a ‘shadow’ of jaguars (presumably due to their black fur), a ‘bloat’ of hippos (relating to the layer of subcutaneous fat that helps them float), a ‘mob’ of kangaroos, a ‘bouquet. of pheasants, and a ‘squabble’ of seagulls.