nest
[ nest ]
/ nɛst /
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noun
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)
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Origin of nest
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” (see nether) + unattested zd-, variant of unattested sd-, ablaut variant of unattested sed-, verb base meaning “sit” (see sit1) + unattested -o- thematic vowel
OTHER WORDS FROM nest
nest·a·ble, adjectivenester, nounnestlike, adjectivenesty, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use nest in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for nest
nest
/ (nɛst) /
noun
verb
Derived forms of nest
nester, nounnestlike, adjectiveWord 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
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Other Idioms and Phrases with nest
nest
see empty nest; feather one's nest; foul one's nest; stir up a hornet's nest.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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