aerie

American  

[air-ee, eer-ee] / ˈɛər i, ˈɪər i /

Also eyrie, or aery

noun

aeries plural

1. the nest of a bird of prey, as an eagle or a hawk.

2. a lofty nest of any large bird.

3. a house, fortress, or the like, located high on a hill or mountain.

   They felt protected from invaders in the hilltop aerie.

4. an apartment or office on a high floor in a high-rise building.

   a penthouse aerie with a spectacular view.

5. Obsolete. the brood in a nest, especially of a bird of prey.

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aerie British  

/ ˈɪərɪ, ˈɛərɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling (esp US) of eyrie

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Etymology

Origin of aerie

First recorded in 1575–85; from Anglo-French, Old French airie, equivalent to aire (from Latin ager “field,” presumably “nest” in Vulgar Latin ) + ie; see origin at acre, -y ³; compare Medieval Latin aerea, aeria “aerie, brood,” from Old French aire

Explanation

An aerie is the nest of a large bird of prey somewhere high up, such as the branch of a tree or a clifftop. Don't confuse aerie with airy, meaning spacious and well ventilated (though it's a safe bet that given their location most aeries are exactly that). The word also has the meaning of a human residence that's perched high up — particularly an artist's garret, for example, in the eaves of a building.

Example Sentences

It will be interesting to see where Thorne lands after leaving an aerie like this.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 15, 2025

Shetty did not grow up in poverty, but his terraced house in suburban London looked nothing like his modernist aerie or this Cape Cod-style mansion.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2023

Named Chiiori, or House of the Flute, the thatched-roof aerie is about 300 years old.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2023

From his glass aerie, Statter surveys the roads below: Zeus without a lightning bolt but with social media.

From Washington Post • Mar. 29, 2022

Amicalola Falls Lodge was an aerie high on a mountainside, reached up a long, winding road through the woods.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson