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nest

[nest]

Origin

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noun

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.

a place used by insects, fishes, turtles, rabbits, etc., for depositing their eggs or young.

a number of birds, insects, animals, etc., inhabiting one such place.

a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home.

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.

EXPAND

a place where something bad is fostered or flourishes: a nest of vice; a robber's nest.

the occupants or frequenters of such a place.

COLLAPSE

verb (used with object)

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

to fit or place one within another: to nest boxes for more compact storage.

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Nest is always a great word to know.

So is batch processing. Does it mean:

a form of data processing in which a number of input jobs are grouped for processing during the same machine run

the machine-language output of a compiler or assembler that is ready for execution

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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

nest·a·ble, adjective

nest·er, noun

nest·like, adjective

nest·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

nest (nɛst)

—n
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

—vb
8.	(intr) to make or inhabit a nest
9.	(intr) to hunt for birds' nests
10.	(tr) to place in a nest

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

'nester

—n

'nestlike

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

nest

O.E. nest "bird's nest, snug retreat," from P.Gmc. *nistaz (cf. M.L.G., M.Du., Ger. nest), from PIE *nizdo- (cf. Skt. nidah "resting place, nest," L. nidus "nest," O.C.S. gnezdo, O.Ir. net, Welsh nyth, Bret. nez "nest"), probably from *ni "down" + *sed- "sit." Used since M.E. in ref. to various accumulations

EXPAND

of things (e.g. a nest of drawers, early 18c.). The verb is O.E. nistan, from P.Gmc. *nistijanan. 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" (1606).

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

NEST
non-surgical embryonic selective thinning

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

nest

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