[Home]Collective nouns for fish, invertebrates and plants/Talk

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Some of these collective nouns aren't quite, really. For instance a colony of ants is a collective in the same way a city, tribe, or household of people is. Should that sort of thing really be included?

I disagree with "city" and "household" but agree with "tribe". A city is a fixed location and can also mean a "collection of buildings" - eg. a "deserted city". A household also pertains to a building (no household without a house). A tribe is much looser in terms of geography, eg. "a tribe of nomads". A colony of ants is potentially mobile or fixed - the OED validates both. Colony is also cited as a valid collective noun for a number of other animals. It doesn't have to be the dominant usage, only a permissible one - MMGB


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Last edited November 18, 2001 2:42 pm by ManningBartlett (diff)
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