| herd instinct | Tendency or inclination to band together with and share the customs of others of a group, and to conform to the opinions and adopt the views of the group. Synonym: social instinct. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| herd | 1. A number of beasts assembled together; as, a herd of horses, oxen, cattle, camels, elephants, deer, or swine; a particular stock or family of cattle. "The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea." (Gray) Herd is distinguished from flock, as being chiefly applied to the larger animals. A number of cattle, when driven to market, is called a drove. 2. A crowd of low people; a rabble. "But far more numerous was the herd of such who think too little and who talk too much." (Dryden) "You can never interest the common herd in the abstract question. <botany>" (Coleridge) Herd's grass, one of several species of grass, highly esteemed for hay. See Grass. Origin: OE. Herd, heord, AS. Heord; akin to OHG. Herta,G. Herde, Icel. Hjor, Sw. Hjord, Dan. Hiord, Goth. Hairda; cf. Skr. Cardha troop, host. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| herd immunity | <immunology> Resistance of a group to a pathogen due to immunity of a large proportion of the group to that pathogen. (09 Oct 1997) |
| aggressive instinct | The instinct of all living creatures toward self-destruction, death, or a return to the inorganic lifelessness from which they arose. Synonym: aggressive instinct. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sexual instinct | The instinct of self-preservation and sexual procreation; the basic urge toward preservation of the species. Synonym: sexual instinct. (05 Mar 2000) |
| social instinct | Tendency or inclination to band together with and share the customs of others of a group, and to conform to the opinions and adopt the views of the group. Synonym: social instinct. (05 Mar 2000) |
| death instinct | The instinct of all living creatures toward self-destruction, death, or a return to the inorganic lifelessness from which they arose. Synonym: aggressive instinct. (05 Mar 2000) |
| instinct | 1. Natural inward impulse; unconscious, involuntary, or unreasoning prompting to any mode of action, whether bodily, or mental, without a distinct apprehension of the end or object to be accomplished. "An instinct is a propensity prior to experience, and independent of instructions." (Paley) "An instinct is a blind tendency to some mode of action, independent of any consideration, on the part of the agent, of the end to which the action leads." (Whately) "An instinct is an agent which performs blindly and ignorantly a work of intelligence and knowledge." (Sir W. Hamilton) "By a divine instinct, men's minds mistrust Ensuing dangers." (Shak) 2. <zoology> Specif, the natural, unreasoning, impulse by which an animal is guided to the performance of any action, without of improvement in the method. "The resemblance between what originally was a habit, and an instinct becomes so close as not to be distinguished." (Darwin) 3. A natural aptitude or knack; a predilection; as, an instinct for order; to be modest by instinct. Origin: L. Instinctus instigation, impulse, fr. Instinguere to instigate: cf. F. Instinct. See Instinct. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| life instinct | The instinct of self-preservation and sexual procreation; the basic urge toward preservation of the species. Synonym: sexual instinct. (05 Mar 2000) |