nest

[nest]

noun

1. a pocketlike, usually more or less circular structure of twigs, grass, mud, etc., formed by a bird, often high in a tree, as a place in which to lay and incubate its eggs and rear its young; any protected place used by a bird for these purposes.

2. a place used by insects, fishes, turtles, rabbits, etc., for depositing their eggs or young.

3. a number of birds, insects, animals, etc., inhabiting one such place.

4. a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home.

5. an assemblage of things lying or set close together, as a series of boxes or trays, that fit within each other.

   a nest of tables.

6. a place where something bad is fostered or flourishes: a robber's nest.

   a nest of vice;

   a robber's nest.

7. the occupants or frequenters of such a place.

verb (used with object)

1. to settle or place (something) in or as if in a nest.

   to nest dishes in straw.

2. to fit or place one within another.

   to nest boxes for more compact storage.

verb (used without object)

1. to build or have a nest.

   The swallows nested under the eaves.

2. to settle in or as if in a nest.

3. to fit together or within another or one another.

   bowls that nest easily for storage.

4. to search for or collect nests.

   to go nesting.

5. Computers.,  to place a routine inside another routine that is at a higher hierarchical level.

nest

/ nɛst /

noun

1. a place or structure in which birds, fishes, insects, reptiles, mice, etc, lay eggs or give birth to young

2. a number of animals of the same species and their young occupying a common habitat

   an ants' nest

3. a place fostering something undesirable

   a nest of thievery

4. the people in such a place

   a nest of thieves

5. a cosy or secluded place

6. a set of things, usually of graduated sizes, designed to fit together

   a nest of tables

7. military a weapon emplacement

   a machine-gun nest

verb

1. (intr) to make or inhabit a nest

2. (intr) to hunt for birds' nests

3. (tr) to place in a nest

Other Word Forms

• nestable adjective
• nester noun
• nestlike adjective
• nesty adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nest¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English (cognate with Dutch, German nest; akin to Latin nīdus “nest,” Old Irish net, Welsh nyth, Sanskrit nīḍa “lair”), ultimately from unattested Indo-European nizdo- “bird's nest,” equivalent to unattested ni “down” ( nether ) + unattested zd-, variant of unattested sd-, ablaut variant of unattested sed-, verb base meaning “sit” ( sit ¹ ) + unattested -o- thematic vowel

Word History and Origins

Origin of nest¹

Old English; related to Latin nīdus (nest) and to _beneath , _sit

Idioms and Phrases

see empty nest; feather one's nest; foul one's nest; stir up a hornet's nest.

Example Sentences

“It gave us plenty of time to nest and decorate.”

From Los Angeles Times

The chimp took a twig, bent and stripped it of its leaves, then he poked it into a termite's nest.

From BBC

Occasionally, my wife and I pause to read as we amble across to visit our late son, inurned near a Gothic Revival gate crowned by nests of monk parakeets.

From Los Angeles Times

"Assumption has one of the longest beaches in Seychelles, which is probably one of the most important green turtle nesting beaches in our country," says conservation campaigner Lucie Harter.

From BBC

"To fix this we need to build more social homes to allow people on lower incomes to fly the nest, and homes of all kinds in the places where jobs are being created," he says.

From BBC

Related Words

• burrow 
• den 
• refuge