nidificate

American  

[nid-uh-fi-keyt] / ˈnɪd ə fɪˌkeɪt /

verb (used without object)

nidificated, nidificating

1. to build a nest.

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Other Word Forms

• nidification noun
• nidificational adjective

Etymology

Origin of nidificate

1810–20; < Latin nīdificātus (past participle of nīdificāre to build a nest); see nidify, -ate ¹

Explanation

If you see a bird nidificate in one of the trees in the park, you are watching it build a nest. Have you ever watched a pair of robins nidificate in the shrub next to your house? They're building their nest at the beginning of breeding season. Both male and female robins participate in nidificating. Females choose the nesting site, and males gather and bring nest-building materials, like grass, twigs, moss, and even scraps of paper. The female constructs the nest, pressing the materials into a cup shape, cementing it with mud, and lining it with dry grass. After nidificating, it's time to lay her blue eggs.

Example Sentences

Be quick, sirra, and nidificate for yourself somewhere else.

From The Poor Scholar Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of William Carleton, Volume Three by Carleton, William

A European species selects snail shells for its nest, wherein it builds its earthen cells, while other species nidificate under stones.

From Our Common Insects A Popular Account of the Insects of Our Fields, Forests, Gardens and Houses by Packard, A. S. (Alpheus Spring)

In July and August not less than thirty species of waterfowl nidificate.

From A Bird Calendar for Northern India by Dewar, Douglas