bestiary means A medieval treatise of various real or imaginary animals. It carries an Arena rating of 1615, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, bestiary ranks #1,196 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,256 of 17,105 for Most Storied Words, #2,239 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #2,406 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
bestiary is pronounced /ˈbiːstiˌɛɹi/.
Why “bestiary” is a great word
BESTIARY — [Noun] A medieval treatise or collection describing various real and mythical animals, often with symbolic or moral commentary. Its name derives from Medieval Latin bēstiārium ("a treatise on beasts"), from Latin bēstia ("beast, animal") and the suffix -ārium (denoting a place or thing related to). Unlike "bestiality" (which denotes brutish behavior or a specific transgression) or "menagerie" (which is a living collection of captive beasts), a bestiary is a catalogued fusion of observation, legend, and sermon. It is the unicorn laying its head in a virgin’s lap, the pelican piercing its breast to feed its young, and the phoenix igniting in a blaze of doctrinal certainty—a world where every creature is a lesson, and the wild has been tamed by allegory.
Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin bēstiārium, from Latin bēstia (“beast, animal”). By surface analysis, beast + -ary.
noun
- A medieval treatise of various real or imaginary animals.e.g.“Back in the 60s, Robin Boyd told us how ugly Australian architecture was. As his valediction, he has left us a bestiary of ugly Australians.” — 16 Jun 1972, Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby, page 22, column 1:
- A collection of various beasts, depicted in art, literature, or the like.e.g.“More commonly known to the English speaker as “Genie”; the “dijn” is a powerful demon in the bestiary of the Middle East, mistaken in this instance for the Buddha.” — 1 Mar 1996, The Australian Jewish News, Melbourne, page 25, column 3:
- A list or guidebook of the monsters to be found in a roleplaying game.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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