venery

noun

1. (uncountable, usually)The 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[…]”

   “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.”

2. (uncountable, usually)Game animals.
3. (countable, uncountable)The pursuit of sexual indulgence or pleasure.

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

   “[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.”