Ask, you may be surprised

[pmmg]

Well. Pegasus was the name of a single horse. It really should not have a plural. Winged horses is more properly accurate, but who wants that? I like pegasi. I should have used that. I would have used medusi if i was talking about a race or breed of snake haired women.

 

[Mad Swede]

Well. Pegasus was the name of a single horse. It really should not have a plural. Winged horses is more properly accurate, but who wants that? I like pegasi. I should have used that. I would have used medusi if i was talking about a race or breed of snake haired women.

Pegasus is both a proper noun (as in Greek mythology) and a common noun (as in Roman bestiaries). So yes, as a common noun pegasus has a plural form (pegasi).

 

[Prince of Spires]

Pegasus is both a proper noun (as in Greek mythology) and a common noun (as in Roman bestiaries). So yes, as a common noun pegasus has a plural form (pegasi).

Or pegasoi. Greek word, greek plural.

Both are acceptable. Unless you're a purist and accept there's only 1.

 

[Mad Swede]

Or pegasoi. Greek word, greek plural.

Both are acceptable. Unless you're a purist and accept there's only 1.

If you're using Greek words, yes. But Pliny the Elder was writing in Latin, so the plural is pegasi, and British English follows Latin conventions when it comes to plural forms of words like lotus and pegasus.

And whilst Greek mythology has only one Pegasus, Pliny's book describing the Roman bestiary has several.

 

[pmmg]

Yes, but are they a flock or a herd? Answer that Pliny.

 

[Mad Swede]

Yes, but are they a flock or a herd? Answer that Pliny.

Having now dug out my digital copy of Pliny's Natural History, I find that the reference to pegasi is in Book VIII Chapter 21. Pliny describes them as winged horses from Ethiopia (!) but doesn't say if they form herds. Presumably pegasi do form herds, as they're winged horses and Pliny uses the term herds of horses in Chapter 42...

 

[Romy]

As long as everybody agrees the plural for unicorn is the commoncorn...
I'll go hide for the rest of the day now...

 

[pmmg]

Wouldn't it be multicorn?

Hey...no hiding...

 

[Prince of Spires]

Pegasi aren't on the supernatural collective noun cheat sheet I came across somewhere unfortunately, otherwise I'd have an answer for you (and I can't upload attachements in this thread, making it hard to show...). Closest I get are griffons (which would be a senate of griffons) or unicorns (which is a fondle of unicorns).

I not sure they're actually either true or used, but they are funny. So there's that...