aerie
Americannoun
plural
aeries-
the nest of a bird of prey, as an eagle or a hawk.
-
a lofty nest of any large bird.
-
a house, fortress, or the like, located high on a hill or mountain.
They felt protected from invaders in the hilltop aerie.
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an apartment or office on a high floor in a high-rise building.
a penthouse aerie with a spectacular view.
-
Obsolete. the brood in a nest, especially of a bird of prey.
noun
Etymology
Origin of aerie
First recorded in 1575–85; from Anglo-French, Old French airie, equivalent to aire (from Latin ager “field,” presumably “nest” in Vulgar Latin ) + ie; see origin at acre, -y 3; compare Medieval Latin aerea, aeria “aerie, brood,” from Old French aire
Explanation
An aerie is the nest of a large bird of prey somewhere high up, such as the branch of a tree or a clifftop. Don't confuse aerie with airy, meaning spacious and well ventilated (though it's a safe bet that given their location most aeries are exactly that). The word also has the meaning of a human residence that's perched high up — particularly an artist's garret, for example, in the eaves of a building.
Vocabulary lists containing aerie
Words of a Feather: Unflappable Avian Vocabulary
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A Walk in the Woods
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It will be interesting to see where Thorne lands after leaving an aerie like this.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 15, 2025
“How you like us so far?” joked Paul Reiser, the actor and comedian, from one corner of a squishy sofa in McDonald’s Santa Barbara, Calif., aerie on a recent Tuesday morning.
From New York Times • May 9, 2024
Bethany: The amount of fabric involved in the curtains that transform the ballroom aerie into a movie theater is impressive!
From Seattle Times • Jul. 22, 2023
“Spirit has left the nest,” the Friends of Big Bear Valley, which operates a livestream of the aerie above Big Bear Lake, announced on Facebook.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2022
They wandered farther and farther from the aerie.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
