venery

plural veneries · alternative archaic venarie

1. uncountableusuallyThe hunting of wild animals.

   There are extant of his in Greek, four books of Cynegeticks or venation, five of Halieuticks or piſcation, commented and publiſhed by Ritterhuſius; wherein deſcribing beaſts of venery and fiſhes[…]

   1650, Thomas Browne, “A brief enumeration of Authors”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC, 1st book, page 24

   1 more example

   But soon enough he’d wake up the second, real time, to make again the tiresome discovery that it hadn’t really ever stopped being the same simple-minded, literal pursuit; V. ambiguously a beast of venery, chased like the hart, hind or hare, chased like an obsolete, or bizarre, or forbidden form of sexual delight.

   1963, Thomas Pynchon, V.

2. uncountableusuallyGame animals.

plural veneries · alternative archaic venarie

1. countableuncountableThe pursuit of sexual indulgence or pleasure.

   [T]he ſalt of vipers is alſo thought to exceed any other animal ſalt vvhatever, in giving vigour to the languid circulation, and prompting to venery.

   1791, Oliver Goldsmith, “Of Venemous Serpents in General”, in An History of the Earth, and Animated Nature. […], new edition, volume VII, London: […] F[rancis] Wingrave, successor to Mr. [John] Nourse, […], →OCLC, page 191

   1 more example

   […] Opium it ſelf is conceived to extimulate unto venery, and for that intent is ſometimes uſed by Turkes, Perſians, and moſt orientall Nations; […]

   1650, Thomas Browne, “Of the Mandrakes of Leah”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC, 7th book, page 301