nest

[nest] /nɛst/
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 nest of vice; a robber's nest.
7.
the occupants or frequenters of such a place.
verb (used with object)
8.
to settle or place (something) in or as if in a nest:
to nest dishes in straw.
9.
to fit or place one within another:
to nest boxes for more compact storage.
verb (used without object)
10.
to build or have a nest:
The swallows nested under the eaves.
11.
to settle in or as if in a nest.
12.
to fit together or within another or one another:
bowls that nest easily for storage.
13.
to search for or collect nests:
to go nesting.
14.
Computers. to place a routine inside another routine that is at a higher hierarchical level.
Origin
before 900; Middle English, Old English (cognate with Dutch, German nest; akin to Latin nīdus nest, Old Irish net, Welsh nyth, Sanskrit nīḍa lair) ≪ Indo-European *nizdo- bird's nest, equivalent to *ni down (see nether) + *zd-, variant of *sd-, ablaut variant of *sed-, v. base meaning “sit” (see sit) + *-o- theme vowel
Related forms
nestable, adjective
nester, noun
nestlike, adjective
nesty, adjective
Examples from the web for nest
  • If you're a gadget hound, it's likely every outlet in your home is a messy snake's nest of power cords and unsightly adapters.
  • They emerge about now, breed, then nest in holes whose entrances they seal with mud.
  • The way the branches overlap and interweave makes nest-building easier for birds, he says.
  • What fun it was to witness this pair build the nest and raise their family.
  • Place nest in center of plate, place scallops on top.
  • Here she is in the nest with six ducklings-and another three eggs are due to hatch in the next few days.
  • Shortly afterward, the hen gets an urge and climbs into the nest box.
  • But here there is only life on the brink: a nest in a brick wall.
  • Consider two lizards confronting each other over a mutually desired resource such as a nest site, a mate, or a morsel of food.
  • Or your department may be a nest of vipers in which, every time you move, someone bares fangs.
British Dictionary definitions for nest

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
8.
(intransitive) to make or inhabit a nest
9.
(intransitive) to hunt for birds' nests
10.
(transitive) to place in a nest
Derived Forms
nester, noun
nestlike, adjective
Word Origin
Old English; related to Latin nīdus (nest) and to beneath, sit
Word Origin and History for nest
n.

Old English nest "bird's nest, snug retreat," also "young bird, brood," from Proto-Germanic *nistaz (cf. Middle Low German, Middle Dutch nest, German Nest), from PIE *nizdo- (cf. Sanskrit nidah "resting place, nest," Latin nidus "nest," Old Church Slavonic gnezdo, Old Irish net, Welsh nyth, Breton nez "nest"), probably from *ni "down" + *sed- (1) "to sit" (see sedentary).

Used since Middle English in reference to various accumulations of things (e.g. a nest of drawers, early 18c.). Nest egg "retirement savings" is from 1700, originally "a real or artificial egg left in a nest to induce the hen to go on laying there" (c.1600).

v.

Old English nistan "to build nests," from Proto-Germanic *nistijanan, from the source of nest (n.). The modern verb is perhaps a new formation in Middle English from the noun. Related: Nested; nesting.

Slang definitions & phrases for nest

nest

Related Terms

feather one's nest, love nest


Related Abbreviations for nest

NEST

non-surgical embryonic selective thinning
Idioms and Phrases with nest

nest

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