Have you ever heard of a fluther of jellyfish?
How about a clutter of spiders?
A scourge of mosquitoes?
That last one makes sense. If you’ve ever been bitten by a mosquito, you’ll know that it feels like a scourge.
But I digress.
My reason for asking you about the jellyfish, spiders, and mosquitoes isn’t to give you a lesson in Biology. It’s actually to share with you some interesting information about the English language.
I want you to look more closely at the words that come before the animals. To be more specific, I want you to look at the words fluther, clutter, and scourge. These are called collective nouns. They name a group of individuals or objects. The English language has quite an interesting assortment of these special nouns. Some are commonly known while others are recognized primarily by etymologists and avid crossword puzzle solvers.
Since many homeschoolers fit into the latter category, (We love words, don’t we?) I thought I’d pull together a list of some collective nouns for you to share with your brood. (That last word is a collective noun, by the way.) This list is by no means exhaustive. However, I did my best to find not only the more common collective nouns, like “deck of cards,” but also the lesser known ones, like “bask of crocodiles,” to intrigue your tikes. Enjoy!
Collective Nouns List
academy of scholars
agenda of meeting topics
ambush (or streak) of tigers
armada (also fleet or flotilla) of ships
army of ants, caterpillars, frogs, soldiers
array of hedgehogs, numbers
assortment of items
aurora of polar bears
bale of cotton, turtles
band of gorillas, jays, monitors, musicians, robbers
barren of mules
bask of crocodiles
batch of biscuits, cookies, bread
bed of clams, flowers, oysters, snakes, vegetables
bellowing of bullfinches
belt of asteroids
bevy of ladies, quail, swans
bloat of hippopotamuses
block of houses, stamps
bouquet of pheasants
brood of children, hens
bundle of clothes, money, sticks
business of ferrets
cackle of hyenas
cast of actors, hawks
cavalcade of horsemen
cete (also clan or colony) of badgers
chain of islands
chest of drawers
chorus of singers
clowder (also clutter, cluster, or pounce) of cats
clump of earth, dirt, grass
cluster of diamonds, grapes, stars
clutter (or cluster) of spiders
clutch of chicks
collection of stamps, books, coins, art
colony of ants, artists, writers
company of firefighters, soldiers, workers
conglomeration of businesses
congregation of alligators, worshipers
constellation of stars
convocation of eagles
corps of marines
council of advisors, chiefs
covey of doves, partridges
crew of sailors, workers
crowd of people
culture of bacteria
deck of cards
descent of woodpeckers
draught of fish
dray (or scurry) of squirrels
drove of cattle
escargatoire (also rout or walk) of snails
exultation of larks
faith of merchants
family of colors, languages, people, sardines
field of racehorses
flamboyance (or stand) of flamingos
flock of believers, birds, sheep, tourists
flush of ducks
fluther (or smack) of jellyfish
gaggle of geese
galaxy of stars
gang of elk
gaze (or nursery) of raccoons
grove of trees
herd of buffalo, cows, horses, reindeer
hive of bees
horde of enemies, gnats
host of angels
huddle of lawyers
knot of toads
labor of moles
league of nations, teams
leap of leopards
leash (or skulk) of foxes
litter of kittens, pigs, puppies
mess of iguanas
mob of kangaroos, people, radicals
multitude of followers
murder of crows
murmuration of starlings
muster (or ostentation) of peacocks
mustering of storks
nest of bowls, mice, snakes, spies, vipers
network of computers
pack of dogs, gum, hounds, lies, wolves
pandemonium (or company) of parrots
panel of experts
parliament of owls
patch of flowers
peep of chickens
pile of things
plague of locusts
pod of dolphins, pelicans, walruses, whales
portfolio of pictures, work
posse of deputies
pride of lions
rafter (also gang or posse) of turkeys
rag of colts
range of mountains
rhumba of rattlesnakes
richness (or richesse) of martins
rookery of penguins
school of fish, porpoises
scourge of mosquitoes
set of dishes, teeth
shoal of minnows
shock of hair, wheat
siege of herons
slew of homework
sounder of boars
spread of cattle, food, horses
squad of police
stack of pancakes, paper
string of ponies
superfluity of nuns
swarm of bees, flies, reporters
troop of apes, baboons, kangaroos, scouts, soldiers
troupe of performers
unkindness of ravens
wake of vultures
watch of nightingales
wave of insects
wing of aircraft
zeal of zebras
Did you like this list of collective nouns? Did your kids learn something from it? If so, feel free to share it with other homeschoolers or anyone else you know with a passion for words.
Many blessings,
