Nest

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /nɛst/

Definitions

1. A structure built by birds or other animals to lay eggs and raise their young
2. A protective structure constructed by certain creatures, notably birds, for the purpose of laying eggs and nurturing their offspring
3. A shelter or place carefully made by animals to hold eggs and provide safety for their young

Etymology: Before it meant a bird's home, the root of "nest" meant something close to "where the bird sits down." The Proto-Indo-European form, reconstructed as "nisdós," joins "ni" (down) with a form of the root "sed-" (to sit), the same root that gives English "sit." The same "ni" element survives in "nether," so the word and "nether" share a prefix that once pointed downward. The word passed through Proto-Germanic and Proto-West Germanic before arriving in Old English as "nest." Its relatives in other Germanic languages, such as Dutch and German forms, keep the same core sense, showing how old the idea of a sitting place for a bird is in the family. The verb came later and grew from the noun. It entered Middle English as "nesten" or "nisten," from Old English "nistan" or "nistian," meaning to build a nest. Its Dutch and German cognates carry the same sense, so the verb and noun have travelled together for a very long time.

Synonyms: den, lair, roost, burrow, home

Antonyms: destruction, dispersal, dislocation, separation, exile