View synonyms for nest

nest

[ nest ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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

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.

verb (used without object)

to build or have a nest:
The swallows nested under the eaves.
to settle in or as if in a nest.
to fit together or within another or one another:
bowls that nest easily for storage.
to search for or collect nests:
to go nesting.
Computers. to place a routine inside another routine that is at a higher hierarchical level.

nest

/ nɛst /

noun

a place or structure in which birds, fishes, insects, reptiles, mice, etc, lay eggs or give birth to young
a number of animals of the same species and their young occupying a common habitat
an ants' nest
a place fostering something undesirable
a nest of thievery
the people in such a place
a nest of thieves
a cosy or secluded place
a set of things, usually of graduated sizes, designed to fit together
a nest of tables
military a weapon emplacement
a machine-gun nest

verb

intr to make or inhabit a nest
intr to hunt for birds' nests
tr to place in a nest

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Derived Forms

ˈnestˌlike, adjective
ˈnester, noun

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Other Words From

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

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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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of nest¹

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

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Idioms and Phrases

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

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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