nested

[ nes-tid ]

/ ˈnɛs tɪd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nested ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Mathematics.

(of an ordered collection of sets or intervals) having the property that each set is contained in the preceding set and the length or diameter of the sets approaches zero as the number of sets tends to infinity.

Nearby words

nest, nest box, nest egg, nest of drawers, nesta, nested, nesting, nesting table, nestle, nestling, nestor

Origin of nested

First recorded in 1720–30; nest + -ed³

Definition for nested (2 of 2)

nest

[ nest ]

/ nɛst /

noun

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.

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

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

a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home.

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.

a place where something bad is fostered or flourishes: a nest of vice; a robber's nest.

the occupants or frequenters of such a place.

verb (used with object)

to settle or place (something) in or as if in a nest: to nest dishes in straw.

to fit or place one within another: to nest boxes for more compact storage.

verb (used without object)

to build or have a nest: The swallows nested under the eaves.

to settle in or as if in a nest.

to fit together or within another or one another: bowls that nest easily for storage.

to search for or collect nests: to go nesting.

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

Origin of nest

before 900; Middle English, Old English (cognate with Dutch, German nest; akin to Latin nīdus nest, Old Irish net, Welsh nyth, Sanskrit nīḍa lair) ≪ Indo-European *nizdo- bird's nest, equivalent to *ni down (see nether) + *zd-, variant of *sd-, ablaut variant of *sed-, v. base meaning “sit” (see sit¹) + *-o- theme vowel

Related formsnest·a·ble, adjectivenest·er, nounnest·like, adjectivenest·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nested

Fageeh decided to test out the big city waters of New York, so he applied to Columbia University and nested in Harlem.
‘No Woman, No Drive’: Behind the Viral Video|Sophia Jones|October 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There was a rush aft, but Tanner met the crew and drove them to the nested boats amidships.
The Harbor of Doubt|Frank Williams
It nested in large colonies that often stretched unbroken for many miles in the woods, and was both hardy and prolific.
Citizen Bird|Mabel Osgood Wright and Elliott Coues
The inconsistent handling of nested quotes, with single or double quotation marks for the inner quote, is unchanged.
The Rambles of a Rat|A. L. O. E.

Louise, rejoicing in the soft gray-green of her smock, lifted a big spray of the scented beauties and nested her face in them.
Mountain|Clement Wood
A pair of them had nested there in a big water maple the year before, but the crows had broken them up.
Camping & Tramping with Roosevelt|John Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for nested

nest

/ (nɛst) /

noun

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

a number of animals of the same species and their young occupying a common habitatan ants' nest

a place fostering something undesirablea nest of thievery

the people in such a placea nest of thieves

a cosy or secluded place

a set of things, usually of graduated sizes, designed to fit togethera nest of tables

military a weapon emplacementa machine-gun nest

verb

(intr) to make or inhabit a nest

(intr) to hunt for birds' nests

(tr) to place in a nest

Derived Formsnester, nounnestlike, adjective

Word Origin for nest

Old English; related to Latin nīdus (nest) and to beneath, sit

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 nested (1 of 2)

nest

Old English nistan "to build nests," from Proto-Germanic *nistijanan, from the source of nest (n.). The modern verb is perhaps a new formation in Middle English from the noun. Related: Nested; nesting.

Word Origin and History for nested (1 of 2)

nest

Old English nest "bird's nest, snug retreat," also "young bird, brood," from Proto-Germanic *nistaz (cf. Middle Low German, Middle Dutch nest, German Nest), from PIE *nizdo- (cf. Sanskrit nidah "resting place, nest," Latin nidus "nest," Old Church Slavonic gnezdo, Old Irish net, Welsh nyth, Breton nez "nest"), probably from *ni "down" + *sed- (1) "to sit" (see sedentary).

Used since Middle English in reference to various accumulations of things (e.g. a nest of drawers, early 18c.). Nest egg "retirement savings" is from 1700, originally "a real or artificial egg left in a nest to induce the hen to go on laying there" (c.1600).

Idioms and Phrases with nested

nest

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

nested

adjective Mathematics.

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of nested

Definition for nested (2 of 2)

nest

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of nest

Examples from the Web for nested

British Dictionary definitions for nested

nest

noun

verb

Word Origin for nest

Word Origin and History for nested (1 of 2)

nest

Word Origin and History for nested (1 of 2)

nest

Idioms and Phrases with nested

nest