nest egg

American  

noun

1. money saved and held in reserve for emergencies, retirement, etc.

2. a natural or artificial egg placed in a nest to induce a hen to continue laying eggs there.

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nest egg British  

noun

1. a fund of money kept in reserve; savings

2. a natural or artificial egg left in a nest to induce hens to lay their eggs in it

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Etymology

Origin of nest egg

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

“We had our blueprint. We had our nest egg. We had our health. All that was left was to toast our good fortune and enjoy the ride,” Glenn says.

From The Wall Street Journal

See: Can my wife and I retire early with a $2 million nest egg?

From MarketWatch

You might also decide against Roth catch-up contributions if there’s another pressing need for those funds, like paying down high-interest debt, or if you plan to donate your nest egg to charity.

From Barron's

But Mr Rushe was not aware that the images were fake and said he was motivated by a desire to leave his family a "nest egg".

From BBC

So perhaps aim for a bigger nest egg.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• cache
• reserve fund
• savings
• savings account
• stash
• stockpile