Nests

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A structure constructed by animals, especially birds, for the purpose of breeding and raising offspring
2. A natural structure built by certain animals to lay eggs and protect their young from danger
3. A carefully assembled place created by creatures like birds to serve as a safe environment for their eggs and hatchlings

Etymology: "Nests" is the plural of "nest", which in its oldest form meant something quite literal: the place where a bird sits down. The Proto-Indo-European root combined "ni", meaning "down", with "sed", meaning "to sit", the same root that gave English "sit". The word's sibling "nether", meaning lower, comes from that same first element, so a nest and the lower regions share a common ancestor. The word reached English as "nest" in Old English, and it has stayed close to its original sense ever since. The verb "to nest", meaning to build or occupy a nest, developed separately from the Old English "nistan", and it is cognate with German "nisten" and Dutch "nesten". Plural "nests" simply follows the regular pattern for nouns ending in a consonant.

Synonyms: homes, habitats, dwellings, abodes, lairs

Antonyms: destinations, vacancies, open spaces, exteriors, outsides