aerie

American  

[air-ee, eer-ee] / ˈɛər i, ˈɪər i /

Also eyrie, or aery

noun

plural

aeries

1. the nest of a bird of prey, as an eagle or a hawk.

2. a lofty nest of any large bird.

3. a house, fortress, or the like, located high on a hill or mountain.

   They felt protected from invaders in the hilltop aerie.

4. an apartment or office on a high floor in a high-rise building.

   a penthouse aerie with a spectacular view.

5. Obsolete. the brood in a nest, especially of a bird of prey.

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aerie British  

/ ˈɪərɪ, ˈɛərɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling (esp US) of eyrie

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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; acre, -y ³; compare Medieval Latin aerea, aeria “aerie, brood,” from Old French aire

Example Sentences

It will be interesting to see where Thorne lands after leaving an aerie like this.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 15, 2025

Named Chiiori, or House of the Flute, the thatched-roof aerie is about 300 years old.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2023

Faculty was sequestered in their own high-floor aerie.

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 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

The more she scraped, the more content she became with her aerie, and the more Duchess, Lady, and Drum returned to her visual mind.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George