herd
n. countablen. a large group of animals of the same kind that live and move together. You can also use it to describe a large group of people, though this can sound a bit rude.
n. a large group of animals, especially hoofed mammals, that live, feed, or migrate together. When applied to humans, it implies a lack of individual thought or a tendency to follow the crowd.
A large herd of cows blocked the road.
The rancher moved the entire herd to the northern pasture where the grass was greener and more plentiful.
Sociologists often study how individuals within a crowd begin to exhibit herd behavior, losing their sense of personal responsibility as they mirror the actions of those around them.
From Middle English herde, heerde, heorde, from Old English hierd, heord (“herd, flock; keeping, care, custody”), from Proto-West Germanic herdu, from Proto-Germanic herdō (“herd”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerdʰ- (“file, row, herd”). Cognate with German Herde, Danish hjord, Swedish hjord. Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian herdhe (“nest”) and Serbo-Croatian krdo.
From Middle English herde, from Old English hirde, hierde, from Proto-West Germanic hirdī, from Proto-Germanic hirdijaz. Cognate with German Hirte, Swedish herde, Danish hyrde.
Often used with a collective noun phrase ('a herd of'). When referring to people, it carries a derogatory or critical tone.