the other day on another board I post on, someone asked me "what is a herd? a herd of what?"

this was my response:

herd - Etymology: Middle English, from Old English heord; akin to Old High German herta (herd), Middle Welsh cordd (troop), Lithuanian kerdzius (shepherd)
1 a : a number of animals of one kind kept together under human control b : a congregation of gregarious wild animals
2 a (1) : a group of people usually having a common bond (2) : a large assemblage of like things b : the undistinguished masses

THE HERD - The Thundering Herd is American folklore ... as old as the buffalo that roam the western plains. The Herd once provided nearly every substance needed for human survival, including food, clothing, tools and weapons. The Herd still provides Marshall University's athletic teams with their nickname. The "Thundering Herd" has long been recognized by sports enthusiasts as one of the great, distinctive nicknames in college athletics.


so I ask you, my fellow Herd fans, what is the herd?