| 释义 |
bevy|ˈbɛvɪ|
Forms: 5 bevey, beuye, beue, 5–7 beuy, 6 beve, (bevvy), 6–7 beavie, beauie, beuie, bevie, 7–9 beavy, 5– bevy.
[Derivation and early history unknown; ME. bevey, beue answers in form to OF. bevee, buvee ‘drink, drinking’ (in mod.F., a drink of water thickened with meal for beasts). This seems to correspond, with difference of conjugation (bevée:— *bevāta), to It. bevuta ‘drinking-bout, a draught’; cf. also beva ‘drink, liquor, potion, drench’ (Baretti) with beva ‘a beavie’ in Florio. To explain the Eng. sense, it has been conjectured that bevy may have passed from the sense of ‘drinking-bout’ to ‘drinking-party,’ and to ‘party’ or ‘company’ generally: but of this there is no known evidence. These old names for companies of men and animals are however very fantastical and far-fetched, as may be seen in the first three works quoted.]
1. The proper term for a company of maidens or ladies, of roes, of quails, or of larks.
c1430Bk. Hawkyng in Rel. Ant. I. 296 A covey of pertrich, a bevey of quayles, and eye of fesaunts. c1470Hors, Shepe, & G. (1822) 30 A beuye of larkes, A beuye of ladyes, A beuye of quayles, A beuye of roos. 1486Bk. St. Albans F v j, A Beuy of Ladies, a Beuy of Roos, a Beuy of Quaylis. 1579E. K. in Spenser's Sheph. Cal. Apr. 118 gloss., They say a Beuie of Larkes. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. iv. 4 None heere he hopes In all this Noble Beuy. 1667Milton P.L. xi. 582 A Beavie of fair Women, richly gay. 1678Phillips s.v. Bevy, The Foresters say a Bevy of Roes. 1725Pope Odyss. vi. 98 Around, a beavy of bright damsels shone. 1725Bradley Fam. Dict., Beavy of Quails, a Term that imports only a Brood of young Quails. 1808Scott Marm. ii. xiv, A bevy of the maids of heaven.
2. transf. A company of any kind; rarely, a collection of objects.
1603B. Jonson Entertm. Wks. (1692) 314 A bevy of Fairies. 1611Beaum. & Fl. King & No K. v. 59 What a beavy of beaten slaves are here? 1688Villiers (Dk. Buckhm.) Chances Wks. (1714) 110 When you've purchas'd A Beavy of those Butter-prints. a1774Goldsm. Double Transform. 53 She kept a bevy Of powder'd coxcombs. 1848Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 365 The whole bevy of renegades. 1861A. Beresford-Hope Eng. Cathedr. 164 A basilica sheltering a bevy of minor altars.
3. Comb., as † bevy-grease, the fat of a roe-deer.
1610J. Guillim Heraldry iii. xiv. (1660) 166 The fat of a Roe is termed Bevy Greace. 1616Bullokar, Beuiegreace, the fat of a row Deere. |