bestiary

Definitions

1. A medieval treatise of various real or imaginary animals.
2. A collection of various beasts, depicted in art, literature, or the like.
3. A list or guidebook of the monsters to be found in a roleplaying game.

Equivalents

Examples

“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.”

“This book is not actually a bestiary. It is what most people think⟳ a bestiary is—namely an assemblage of vividly imagined beasts who behave somewhat quirkily, bear⟳ only the vaguest application to real life, […]”

“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.”

“Later artworks showed many animals and gods, some of which were clearly identified with heavenly bodies. [...] Each shows a splendidly vivacious bestiary and pantheon, including the Sun-Moon-Venus symbols and a lion-versus-bull combat scene with an eagle or man-bull joining in.”

CEFR level