eyrie

American  

[air-ee, eer-ee] / ˈɛər i, ˈɪər i /

Or eyry

noun

plural

eyries

1. aerie.

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eyrie British  

/ ˈɪərɪ, ˈaɪərɪ, ˈɛərɪ /

noun

1. the nest of an eagle or other bird of prey, built in a high inaccessible place

2. the brood of a bird of prey, esp an eagle

3. any high isolated position or place

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Etymology

Origin of eyrie

C16: from Medieval Latin airea, from Latin ārea open field, hence nest

Explanation

An eyrie is the nest of a bird of prey such as an eagle or hawk. Eyries are perched high, in tall trees or on cliffs. You've probably seen a bird's nest or two, but you may not have seen an eyrie. That's because eyries are very high up. Some eyries are in enormous trees, while others are on the sides of cliffs and mountains. This keeps the bird's nest very safe from other animals, but the birds who make eyries are dangerous: hunting birds such as eagles, falcons, and hawks. After killing and eating its prey, an eagle will return to its eyrie.

Example Sentences

Roman Abramovich, sitting high in his East Stand eyrie, would certainly have been wondering what had happened to the £130m he invested in the quartet.

From The Guardian • Oct. 28, 2012

And my younger eyes loved the view from that eyrie.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2011

It was to be my very own little eyrie.

From The Guardian • Jan. 9, 2011

Also carried away in the hillside slide were a neighbor's $100,000 clifftop mansion, a psychiatrist's $75,000 eyrie, and about half of a $1,000,000, three-year-old apartment complex below them.

From Time Magazine Archive

A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien