I. ˈhərd, ˈhə̄d, ˈhəid noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English herde, herd, from Old English heord; akin to Old High German herta herd, Old Norse hjörth, Gothic hairda herd, Middle Welsh cordd troop, Greek korthys heap, Sanskrit śardha herd, troop
1.
a. : a number of one kind of animal kept together under human care or control: as
(1) : a company of one of the larger domestic animals
a herd of horses
herds of swine
especially : such a company of domestic oxen — often contrasted with flock
patriarchs rich in herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and goats
(2) : a company of one kind of wild or semi-domesticated animals kept or bred for human use
a herd of ranch mink
a herd of laboratory mice
b. : a congregation of gregarious wild animals: as
(1) : a group of one or more kinds of usually large herbivorous mammals
a herd of elephants
herds of antelopes darkening the African veldt
or of marine mammals
the dolphin herd playing through the swell — Sacheverell Sitwell
herds of seal coming ashore to bear young
(2) : a school of large fish
grazing on the bottom in herds like the haddock — Rachel L. Carson
(3) : a flock of large and usually chiefly terrestrial or aquatic birds
a herd of swans
a large herd of wild turkeys
2.
a. : a group of people usually having a common bond
entered the troop with the midwinter herd of tenderfeet — MacKinlay Kantor
b. : the whole body of mankind : the undistinguished masses : mob
isolate the individual prophets from the herd — Norman Cousins
especially : society viewed as clinging to a blind conformity of standards and behavior
the herd of mankind can hardly be said to think; their notions are almost all adoptive — Earl of Chesterfield
a boarding school where the thirteen-year-old … helplessly watches the herd tearing to shreds the spirit of a nonconformist student — Rose Feld
3. : a considerable quantity : large number
herds of new cars from America — Christopher Rand
II. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English herden, from herde, herd, n.
1.
a. : to come together in a herd : feed or run together
animals are in general fond of herding and grazing in company — Oliver Goldsmith
b. : to assemble or move in a group
New Yorkers … herding resignedly on subway platforms — Charlotte Devree
when the bell rang they herded in together — Oliver La Farge
2. : to place oneself in a group : associate
it is desirable that young noblemen should herd — Sir Walter Scott
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English hierde, hirde, herde, from Old English hyrde, hierde; akin to Old High German hirti herdsman, Old Norse hirthir, Gothic hairdeis; derivatives from the root of English herd (I)
1.
a. : one that herds domestic animals : herdsman — now used chiefly in combination
cow herd
swine herd
b. dialect Britain : shepherd
2.
[ herd (IV) ]
West : a tour of duty as a herdsman
a new ranch hand, on herd for the first time
cook had flapjacks ready for the men coming off night herd
IV. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English herden, from hierde, herde, n.
1.
a. : to keep (animals) together : lead , drive
dogs are often trained to herd sheep
b. : to gather, lead, or drive as if in a herd
a nation that herds fifteen millions of its own citizens into slave labor camps — James Burnham
seventy-five boys and girls were herded by six or eight teachers — W.A.White
2. : to place in a group : associate
herd us with their kindred fools — Jonathan Swift