From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbestiarybes‧ti‧ar‧y /ˈbestiəri $ ˈbestʃieri/ noun (plural bestiaries) [countable] SHTCNan old book about strange animals, written in the Middle Ages
Examples from the Corpus
bestiary• Later still, in a Medieval bestiary, three courageous birds are shown in the act of attacking an owl's head.• In Carrington's personal bestiary the horse was the principal icon.Origin bestiary (1800-1900) Medieval Latin bestiarium, from Latin bestia; → BESTIAL 