- nest
- nest [nest]n.[ME < OE, akin to Ger nest < IE * nizdos (< base * ni-, down + * sed-, to SIT) > L nidus, Welsh nyth]1. the structure made or the place chosen by birds for laying their eggs and sheltering their young2.a) the place used by turtles, hornets, fish, etc. for spawning or breedingb) the structure made or the place chosen by any of certain wild animals as its home [a squirrel's nest]3. a cozy or snug place in which to live or rest; retreat4.a) a haunt or den: used esp. in an unfavorable senseb) the people who frequent such a place [a nest of criminals]5. a brood, swarm, or colony of birds, insects, etc.6. a set or series of similar things, each fitting within the one next largervi.1. to build or live in or as in a nest2. to fit one into another3. to hunt for birds' nests: usually in the present participlevt.1. to make a nest for2. to place or settle in or as in a nest3. to fit (an object) closely within another4. Comput. to embed (a loop, subroutine, etc.) between the first and last instructions of anothernestableadj.
English World dictionary. V. Neufeldt. 2014.