nest

[ nest ]

noun

1. 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.
2. a place used by insects, fishes, turtles, rabbits, etc., for depositing their eggs or young.
3. a number of birds, insects, animals, etc., inhabiting one such place.
4. a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home.
5. 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.

6. a place where something bad is fostered or flourishes: a robber's nest.

   a nest of vice;

   a robber's nest.

7. the occupants or frequenters of such a place.

verb (used with object)

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

   to nest dishes in straw.

2. to fit or place one within another:

   to nest boxes for more compact storage.

verb (used without object)

1. to build or have a nest:

   The swallows nested under the eaves.

2. to settle in or as if in a nest.
3. to fit together or within another or one another:

   bowls that nest easily for storage.

4. to search for or collect nests:

   to go nesting.

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

nest

/ nɛst /

noun

1. a place or structure in which birds, fishes, insects, reptiles, mice, etc, lay eggs or give birth to young
2. a number of animals of the same species and their young occupying a common habitat

   an ants' nest

3. a place fostering something undesirable

   a nest of thievery

4. the people in such a place

   a nest of thieves

5. a cosy or secluded place
6. a set of things, usually of graduated sizes, designed to fit together

   a nest of tables

7. military a weapon emplacement

   a machine-gun nest

verb

1. intr to make or inhabit a nest
2. intr to hunt for birds' nests
3. tr to place in a nest

Derived Forms

• ˈnestˌlike, adjective
• ˈnester, noun

Other Words From

• nesta·ble adjective
• nester noun
• nestlike adjective
• nesty adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nest¹

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” ( nether ) + unattested zd-, variant of unattested sd-, ablaut variant of unattested sed-, verb base meaning “sit” ( sit ¹ ) + unattested -o- thematic vowel

Word History and Origins

Origin of nest¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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

Example Sentences

With tens of millions across the US currently unemployed, the number of residents with anything close to an ample emergency nest egg has likely dropped even lower.

From Popular-Science

Most creatures, most of the time, find it easier to do the latter than the former, which is why living things generally are more concerned with feathering their nests than de-feathering those of others.

From Nautilus

For example, some of them sat on eggs in open nests, like modern birds.

From Science News For Students

They also worry that the investigation could be used to build up his own nest of public funds and could be used to resurrect the controversial $470 million desalination project in Playas de Rosarito.

From Voice of San Diego

This could include whole nests of honeybees, other types of hornets and yellow jackets.

From Science News For Students

Unlike Brunner, Remer was itinerant, and spent much time in that other nest of postwar Nazis—Cairo.

From The Daily Beast

Mark Reay is a handsome model-turned-photographer who is homeless, living in a secret ‘nest’ on top of an apartment building.

From The Daily Beast

And an eaglet does not start off flying from the ground, but from the nest.

From The Daily Beast

When he approached the wrecked nest, Patterson saw one of the eaglets on the exposed ground near the base of the tree.

From The Daily Beast

He then spoke to the state police, who proved to be aware of the fallen nest.

From The Daily Beast

A small book, bound in full purple calf, lay half hidden in a nest of fine tissue paper on the dressing-table.

From Project Gutenberg

Almost as soon as she had finished building her nest she had discovered a strange-looking egg there.

From Project Gutenberg

The grass had a delightful fragrance, like new-mown hay, and was neatly wound around the tunnel, like the inside of a bird's-nest.

From Project Gutenberg

And away she flew to her nest, leaving Grandfather Mole to talk to the air, if he wished.

From Project Gutenberg

Weimar being such a "kleines Nest (little nest)," as Liszt calls it, every stranger is immediately remarked.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• burrow
• den
• refuge