34. A Murder of Crows

Star-Spangled Stories. Article 34.

A Murder of Crows

Why do groups of animals have such strange names in English?

English can be very practical. It has words like flock, herd, pack or swarm, which simply mean hejno, stádo, smečka or roj. But next to them there is a second, much stranger world: a murder of crows, a parliament of owls, an exaltation of larks, a business of ferrets. When you meet these expressions for the first time, you can easily get the impression that someone made them up on the internet during a long winter evening.

In fact these strange names have a fairly old origin. Most of them belong to the tradition of so-called terms of venery – medieval and early modern names for groups of animals. The word venery here is connected with hunting. It was not only about language, but also about social prestige: whoever knew the "correct" hunting vocabulary showed that they belonged to a more educated and noble class.

At the same time, it is important to add that many of these names were never really common. Some were practical, others playful, witty or even ironic. So today, expressions that native speakers really use stand next to expressions that work more as a language curiosity or a literary decoration.

What are collective nouns and terms of venery?

A collective noun is a word for a group: for example team, class, audience, flock or herd. With animals there is nothing unusual about this – Czech also has words like stádo, hejno, roj or smečka.

In English, however, the Middle Ages and the early modern period saw a special fondness for exact and often very figurative names for groups of different animals. These expressions came to be called terms of venery. Some arose from observing the animals' behaviour or appearance; others were more of a pun, a cultural reference or even a joke.

Where did these expressions come from?

Their roots go back to the world of aristocratic hunting in medieval England. Hunting language was largely a sign of social status. Just as a person showed their education through Latin or courtly manners, they could also show their refinement by knowing the correct terms for animals, their tracks, their sounds or their groups.

An important role was played by so-called books of courtesy – guides to good manners – and especially the famous Book of Saint Albans from 1486, traditionally linked with Juliana Berners. It was this book that helped spread many well-known expressions. But it is important that even then not all the names were purely practical. Some look like wordplay, and some also referred to groups of people, such as lawyers, monks or women.

In other words: already in the 15th century it was not only about hunting, but also about style, humour and social fashion.

Are all these names "official"?

No. And that may be the most important thing about the whole subject. There is no authority that has decided once and for all that murder is the one and only correct name for crows, or parliament for owls.

Some expressions are really well known today and relatively fixed: a flock of sheep, a herd of elephants, a pack of wolves, a school of fish, a swarm of bees, a pride of lions, a murder of crows. Others are much less common and work more as an eye-catching curiosity: an exaltation of larks, a business of ferrets, an ostentation of peacocks.

And then there are newer or recently popularized expressions too. A typical example is wisdom of owls. The traditionally best-known form is parliament of owls; wisdom of owls sounds logical and often appears in popular lists, but it is not as firmly rooted in history.

What is really used?

For everyday communication there is a simple rule: when you are not sure, use the neutral word group or a common collective noun like flock, herd, pack, school or swarm. Nobody will look at you strangely if you say a group of owls. On the other hand, if you said a parliament of owls without any context, it would sound noticeably stylish, perhaps even bookish.

By the way, this is a nice example of how vocabulary is not only a question of meaning, but also of style, frequency and context.

Beware of internet lists

The internet loves lists like "50 amazing collective nouns for animals". They are fun, but not always reliable. Sometimes they mix old recorded expressions, modern wordplay and completely random ideas. So it is better to treat such lists as inspiration, not as a list of "compulsory correct forms".

If you want a really useful minimum, stick to the safe expressions: flock, herd, pack, school, swarm, colony, pod. And alongside them, remember pride, murder, parliament and murmuration as a cultural curiosity.

Conclusion

Unusual names for groups of animals are a lovely example of how English is not only a practical tool for communication, but also a cultural memory. Some of these expressions come from a time when language also served as a badge of social class. Others survived because they sound funny, poetic or unforgettable.

And so, next to completely ordinary words like flock or herd, expressions like murder, parliament or murmuration live on. You do not need them to survive. But that is exactly why they make English more fun.