# All Slavic languages: collective nouns [groups of animals]



## t.tellur

In English, there are over 100 hundred collective nouns, see here. How is it Slavic languages?
In Czech, there are few basic nouns
*stádo* (krav, slepic, koní - of cows, of chickens, of horses) - used mostly for creatures that can't fly with few exceptions (stádo hus - a skein of geese)
*hejno* (ptáků, hus - of birds, of geese) - used mostly for creatures that are able to fly
*skupina* (psů, koček - of dogs, of cats) - basic word for English group, it is used for anything
*houf* (psů, koní - of dogs, of horses) - used in sense _[a pack of, a herd of]_, it can be used for non living things too (houf zbraní - a pack of weapons)


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## FairOaks

I don't think a lot of English speakers living in the 21st century know what the hell "meinie", "sownder" or "doylt" are. And if somebody told me "Mate, look at that wedge over there!", I'd most likely visualise cheese/cake or that piece of wood which is used to keep a door shut/open, a golf club, even, but certainly not a flock of swans flitting about.


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## rusita preciosa

By "collective nouns" here do you just mean groups of animals, rather than all collectiove nouns?

For groups of animals Russian vocabulary is not as extensive as English. 

Just a few words come to mind:
*стадо* /stado/ - herd (typically a group of large domsetic animals sich as cows) - to use that word for chickens, geese (as in Czech) would be very funny in Russian, you would imagine chickens mooing and chewing cud 
*стая */staya/ - pack, flock (typically a group of wild or feral animals or birds)
*рой* /roy/ - swarm (flying insects)
*колония* /koloniya/ - colony (typically social insects such as termites)
*прайд* /prayd/ - pride (lions)
*табун */tabun/ - herd (mostly horses, I guess it can be used for other horse-like animals, e.g. zebras)

There are probably more terms used in biology etc., but these are the most common I can think of.


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## bibax

Czech:

stádo : even/odd-toed animals, elephants, etc. (not used for birds) : stádo krav, koní, slonů ...;
hejno : birds, fishes : hejno husí, sleďů, ...;
smečka : predatory mammals : smečka psů, vlků, ...;
tlupa: monkeys, anthropoid apes, prehistoric/primitive men : tlupa goril, neadrtálců, ...;


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## SkyScout

*Polish Collective Nouns*

a gang of robbers  - *gang* złodziei
a bunch of grapes/bananas/cherries - *kiść* winogron/bananów/wiśni
bunch of keys - pęk kluczy
bunch of flowers (to put in a vase)- *bukiet* kwiatów (do włożenia do wazonu)
a flock of birds/sheep - *stado* ptaków/owiec
a herd of cows/buffalo/deer/moose/giraffe/elephant, etc. - *stado* krów/bawołów/jeleni/łosi/żyraf/słoni
a pack of hounds/wolves - *stado* ogarów/wilków
a pack of cards - *talia* kart
a pack of lies - *stek* kłamstw
a shoal of fish - *ławica* ryb
a swarm of bees and all other insects - *rój* pszczół i wszystkich innych owadów
a clump of bushes/flowers - *kępa* krzaków/kwiatów
a bouquet of flowers (for carrying) - *bukiet* kwiatów (do noszenia)
a bundle of faggots - *wiązka* kijów i *gałęzi* związanych razem
a medley/selection of tunes - *wiązanka/wybór* melodii
a block of flats/apartments - *blok* mieszkalny
a suite of rooms - *apartament* z pokojami
a cluster of houses - *zbiorowisko* domów
a cluster of grapes (which are still growing)- *pęk* winogron (które wciąż rosną)
a team of footballers - *drużyna* piłkarzy
a team of oxen - *zaprzęg* wołów
a bevy of beautiful girls - *grono* pięknych dziewcząt
a board of directors - *zarząd* dyrektorów
a panel/team of experts - *komisja/zespół* ekspertów
a sheaf of wheat - *snop* pszenicy
an assembly of Churchmen - *zgromadzenie* duchownych
a fleet of ships - *flota* statków
a nest of tablets (i.e. a group that will fit under each other neatly) - *komplet* tabletek
a set of teacups - *komplet* filiżanek do herbaty
a news bulletin - *biuletyn* informacyjny
a crowd of people - *tłum* ludzi
a hum of conversation - *pomruk* rozmowy
hordes/droves of tourists/sightseers - *hordy/napór* turystów/zwiedzających
a batch of samples/letters - *plik* próbek/listów
a batch of loaves - *partia* bochenków
a chain of shops - *sieć* sklepów
a tuft of hair/grass -*pęk* włosów/trawy
a range of mountains - *łancuch* górski
a wad of notes - *plik* notatek
a consensus of opinion - *jednomyślność* opini
a pile of books/magazines/newspapers (that could be carried) - *sterta* książek/magazynów/gazet
a heap of books/magazines/newspapers (lying about)- *sterta* książek/magazynów/gazet (leżąca gdzieś)
a confederation of states - *konfederacja* stanów
a bed of flowers (an area where they grow) - *klomb* kwiatów (przestrzeń gdzie one rosną)


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## FairOaks

All right then. Here's a small list of the most common Bulgarian collective nouns concerning groups of animals:
*стадо*, *сюрия*, *билюк* — basic words = herd/flock (usu. sheep, goats)
*рой*, *рояк* — flying insects or birds
*орляк*, *ято* — flying birds
*черда*/*чарда* — a herd (of cows or buffaloes)
*колония* — a colony (of ants, termites, etc.)
*пасаж* — a shoal (fish)
*табун*, *хергеле* — a stud/herd (of horses, donkeys, etc.)
*глутница* — a pack (of wolves, dogs, etc.)
*чупило*, *пилило*, *люпило*, *мътило* — a brood (birds)
*котило* — a litter (cats, dogs)
*впряг* — a team (of oxen, mules, horses, etc.)


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## iobyo

Here's a few in *Macedonian* for groups of animals:



_стадо_, _булук_ (from Turkish), _крдар_/_крдо_ - flock, herd of livestock (when grazing or traveling together);
_ергеле_ - wild horses;
_јато_ - flock of birds, shoal of fish;
_глутница_ - pack of wolves;
_рој_ - swarm (flying insects);
_ѕевгар_ (from Greek) - a pair of drought animals;
_кот, котило_ - litter (of mammal offspring in general).


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## sesperxes

I seize the thread to ask whether in all your countries eggs and roses are bought/sold by the DOZEN (another collective name, I guess).


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## Anicetus

sesperxes said:


> I seize the thread to ask whether in all your countries eggs and roses are bought/sold by the DOZEN (another collective name, I guess).



Not in Croatia, eggs are usually sold in packages of 10 and 6 here. There is a word for "a dozen" -- _tucet_ -- but it's rarely used nowadays.


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## marco_2

Anicetus said:


> Not in Croatia, eggs are usually sold in packages of 10 and 6 here. There is a word for "a dozen" -- _tucet_ -- but it's rarely used nowadays.



The same is in Poland: we understand the word *tuzin *(a dozen) but we rarely use it. By the way, eggs in Poland were also sold by *mendel *(15) or even *kopa *(60). The old recipes for cakes started with the words: _Weź kopę jaj i daj dziewce niech utrze (Take 60 eggs and order your maid to rub them /with sugar/) _
.


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## Provensalstinar

marco_2 said:


> The same is in Poland: we understand the word *tuzin *(a dozen) but we rarely use it. By the way, eggs in Poland were also sold by *mendel *(15) or even *kopa *(60).



Exactly the same in Czech, but the system is more difficult: 
*- tucet *(12), with derivations *půltucet *(6) and *veletucet *(12x12 = 144),
*- mandel *(15), most often used for sheaves,
*- kopa *(4 mandele = 5 tuctů = 60, analogically* půlkopa *30 and *velekopa* 3600), 
*- vrh *(3 or 4, depending on what is counted; *vrh*, literally _throw_, was a very specialized measure, used for instance for buttons). 
_
Tucet _is still used quite often, the othersare more or less archaic.


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## TriglavNationalPark

In Slovenian, *ducat* (= dozen) is very commonly used.


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## Azori

_Slovak:_

*stádo, črieda* - group of animals, mostly of ungulates - hoofed animals
*kŕdeľ* - used for birds, it can be also used for some other animals, e.g. sheep
*svorka* - group of dogs or wolves
*roj* - swarm (of flying insects)
*húf* - disordered, chaotic group of animals, mostly in motion
*skupina* - group (general word)


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## TriglavNationalPark

Slovenian:

*krdelo* = pack of wolves; a disorganized herd of horses (SSKJ also lists _flock of birds_ as an archaic meaning, which surprised me)
*jata* = flock of birds; school of fish
*družina, panj* = hive of bees
*roj* = swarm of insects
*čreda* = herd of cattle, horses, donkeys, etc.
*leglo* = litter (of young mammals)
*trop* = flock of goats, sheep; herd of deer, wild boars; pack of wolves, etc.
*gnezdo* = nest; horde (of rats, guinea pigs, etc.)
*skupina* = group

Sources: SSKJ, http://www.agroweb.bf.uni-lj.si/nomenklatura.htm


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## marco_2

SkyScout said:


> *Polish Collective Nouns*
> 
> a gang of robbers - *gang* złodziei
> a bunch of grapes/bananas/cherries - *kiść* winogron/bananów/wiśni
> bunch of keys - pęk kluczy
> bunch of flowers (to put in a vase)- *bukiet* kwiatów (do włożenia do wazonu)
> a flock of birds/sheep - *stado* ptaków/owiec
> a herd of cows/buffalo/deer/moose/giraffe/elephant, etc. - *stado* krów/bawołów/jeleni/łosi/żyraf/słoni
> a pack of hounds/wolves - *stado* ogarów/wilków
> a pack of cards - *talia* kart
> a pack of lies - *stek* kłamstw
> a shoal of fish - *ławica* ryb
> a swarm of bees and all other insects - *rój* pszczół i wszystkich innych owadów
> a clump of bushes/flowers - *kępa* krzaków/kwiatów
> a bouquet of flowers (for carrying) - *bukiet* kwiatów (do noszenia)
> a bundle of faggots - *wiązka* kijów i *gałęzi* związanych razem
> a medley/selection of tunes - *wiązanka/wybór* melodii
> a block of flats/apartments - *blok* mieszkalny
> a suite of rooms - *apartament* z pokojami
> a cluster of houses - *zbiorowisko* domów
> a cluster of grapes (which are still growing)- *pęk* winogron (które wciąż rosną)
> a team of footballers - *drużyna* piłkarzy
> a team of oxen - *zaprzęg* wołów
> a bevy of beautiful girls - *grono* pięknych dziewcząt
> a board of directors - *zarząd* dyrektorów
> a panel/team of experts - *komisja/zespół* ekspertów
> a sheaf of wheat - *snop* pszenicy
> an assembly of Churchmen - *zgromadzenie* duchownych
> a fleet of ships - *flota* statków
> a nest of tablets (i.e. a group that will fit under each other neatly) - *komplet* tabletek
> a set of teacups - *komplet* filiżanek do herbaty
> a news bulletin - *biuletyn* informacyjny
> a crowd of people - *tłum* ludzi
> a hum of conversation - *pomruk* rozmowy
> hordes/droves of tourists/sightseers - *hordy/napór* turystów/zwiedzających
> a batch of samples/letters - *plik* próbek/listów
> a batch of loaves - *partia* bochenków
> a chain of shops - *sieć* sklepów
> a tuft of hair/grass -*pęk* włosów/trawy
> a range of mountains - *łancuch* górski
> a wad of notes - *plik* notatek
> a consensus of opinion - *jednomyślność* opini
> a pile of books/magazines/newspapers (that could be carried) - *sterta* książek/magazynów/gazet
> a heap of books/magazines/newspapers (lying about)- *sterta* książek/magazynów/gazet (leżąca gdzieś)
> a confederation of states - *konfederacja* stanów
> a bed of flowers (an area where they grow) - *klomb* kwiatów (przestrzeń gdzie one rosną)



I would add to it the following:

a pack of wolves / dogs - *zgraja / sfora *wilków / psów
a herd of horses or other similar animals - *tabun *
a herd of cows and other animals kept on farms - *trzoda *(archaic though you can hear _trzoda chlewna _- formally about pigs)
a flock of sheep - *kierdel *(used only by Highlanders, similar to Slovak _krdel' _as you can see)


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## jadeite_85

TriglavNationalPark said:


> Slovenian:
> 
> *krdelo* = pack of wolves; a disorganized herd of horses (SSKJ also lists _flock of birds_ as an archaic meaning, which surprised me)
> *jata* = flock of birds; school of fish
> *družina, panj* = hive of bees
> *roj* = swarm of insects
> *čreda* = herd of cattle, horses, donkeys, etc.
> *leglo* = litter (of young mammals)
> *trop* = flock of goats, sheep; herd of deer, wild boars; pack of wolves, etc.
> *gnezdo* = nest; horde (of rats, guinea pigs, etc.)
> *skupina* = group
> 
> Sources: SSKJ, http://www.agroweb.bf.uni-lj.si/nomenklatura.htm



*drhal *= group with a denigratory meaning


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## ilocas2

t.tellur said:


> *stádo* (krav, slepic, koní - of cows, of chickens, of horses) - used mostly for creatures that can't fly with few exceptions (stádo hus - a skein of geese)





rusita preciosa said:


> *стадо* /stado/ - herd (typically a group of large domsetic animals sich as cows) - to use that word for chickens, geese (as in Czech) would be very funny in Russian, you would imagine chickens mooing and chewing cud





bibax said:


> stádo : even/odd-toed animals, elephants, etc. (not used for birds) : stádo krav, koní, slonů ...;



Hello all, as you can see on Google, Czech word stádo is used with birds, as t.tellur wrote in the first post

stádo slepic - "stádo slepic"

stádo hus - "stádo hus"


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## Sobakus

ilocas2 said:


> Hello all, as you can see on Google, Czech word stádo is used with birds, as t.tellur wrote in the first post
> 
> stádo slepic - "stádo slepic"
> 
> stádo hus - "stádo hus"


_Ста́до_ is actually also used in Russian for grass-eating birds at the very least, so _ста́до гусе́й, у́ток_. Dahl also mentions southern _череда́ _"procession, metaphorical chain" for birds_. _For beef cattle turns out a word I've never encountered, _гурт_, is also used. For sheep Dahl mentions northern _руно́_ (which he says is normally used for fish, never encountered)_, _southern_ ота́ра_ (seen this one). A group of mares with one stallion is called _кося́к_, the same word is also used for generic groups of fish, birds (in formation) and "some other animals".


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## marco_2

Sobakus said:


> _кося́к_ is also used for generic groups of fish, birds (in formation) and "some other animals".



In Polish for generic groups of birds in formation we use the noun _klucz _(literally: a key), so *klucz żurawi / dzikich gęsi *= cranes / wild geese flying in a V.


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## Lubella

рій of insects
стадо group of animals 
зграя group of animals 
табун of birds, of fish, of  horses
череда, стадо of cattle other domestic animals
косяк  of  horses, of fish
отара of goats, sheep
ватага of goats, sheep


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## Lubella

a curiosity ... the word копа  was used in Ukrainian to indicate the number of 60 and and a certain amount of wheat bundles 
стайка, стая - sheaf (a bundle of grain stalks laid lengthwise and tied together after reaping), rarely group of animals the stall
in other Slavic languages I see that kopa and stajka, staja indicate groups of animals. Then maybe, just maybe once they meant numbers and now they mean an uncertain amount, "a group"?


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## marco_2

In Polish the word *staja *once meant an old measure of distance which primarily indicated how long a horse could tow a cart without rest.


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