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aery1

or aër·y

[air-ee, ey-uh-ree]
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adjective, aer·i·er, aer·i·est.
  1. ethereal; aerial.
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Origin of aery1

1580–90; < Latin āerius < Greek āérios, equivalent to āer- aer- + -ios adj. suffix
Related formsaer·i·ly, adverb

aery2

[air-ee, eer-ee]
noun, plural aer·ies.
  1. aerie.
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aerie

or aer·y

[air-ee, eer-ee]
noun, plural aer·ies.
  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.
  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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Also eyrie, eyr·y.

Origin of aerie

1575–85; < Anglo-French, Old French airie, equivalent to aire (< Latin ager field, presumably “nest” in Vulgar Latin; see acre) + ie -y3; compare Medieval Latin aerea, aeria “aerie, brood” < Old French aire
Can be confusedaerie airyaerie eerie Erie
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for aery

Historical Examples

  • The aery of the Yosemite eagle is the most sublimely defiant of things built by bird, or beast, or man.

    Roof and Meadow

    Dallas Lore Sharp

  • Seizing in his hand his club of heavy knotted oak, he seeks with swift pace the aery mountain steep.

  • She spoke; but the other sped lightly down the aery sky, girt about with dark whirlwind on her echoing way.

  • The sunset begins to burn red behind Magdalen Tower, all the towers and aery pinnacles rise blue yet distinct against it.

    The Invader

    Margaret L. Woods

  • Not Age but Youth of centuries smiles from gray walls and aery pinnacles upon the joyous children of To-day.

    The Invader

    Margaret L. Woods

British Dictionary definitions for aery

aery1

adjective poetic
  1. a variant spelling of airy
  2. lofty, insubstantial, or visionary
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Word Origin

C16: via Latin from Greek aērios, from aēr air

aery2

noun plural aeries
  1. a variant spelling of eyrie
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aerie

noun
  1. a variant spelling (esp US) of eyrie
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for aery

aerie

n.

"eagle's nest," 1580s (attested in Anglo-Latin from early 13c.), from Old French aire "nest," Medieval Latin area "nest of a bird of prey" (12c.), perhaps from Latin area "level ground, garden bed" [Littré], though some doubt this [Klein]. Another theory connects it to atrium. Formerly misspelled eyrie (1660s) on the mistaken assumption that it derived from Middle English ey "egg."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper