BESTIARY

noun (plural -aries) Etymology: Medieval Latin bestiarium, from Latin, neuter of bestiarius of beasts, from bestia Date: 1840 a medieval allegorical or moralizing work on the appearance and habits of real or imaginary animals, 2. a collection of descriptions or representations of real or imaginary animals, an array of real humans or literary characters often having symbolic significance, an unusual or whimsical collection