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nest

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Nest, NEST, nést, and n'est

English

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /nɛst/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛst

Etymology 1

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₁en-?
Proto-Indo-European *ní
Proto-Indo-European *sed-
Proto-Indo-European *-ós
Proto-Indo-European *nisdós
Proto-Germanic *nestą
Proto-West Germanic *nest
Old English nest
Middle English nest
English nest

    From Middle English nest, nist, nyst, from Old English nest, from Proto-West Germanic *nest, from Proto-Germanic *nestą, from Proto-Indo-European *nisdós (“nest”), literally "where [the bird] sits down", a compound of *ni (“down”) (whence also English nether) + the zero-grade of the root *sed- (“to sit”) (whence also English sit).

    A Taveta Golden-weaver's elaborate nest
    Ground nest of Sprague's Pipit

    Noun

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    nest (plural nests)

    1. A structure built by a bird as a place to incubate eggs and rear young.
      Hyponym: aerie
      Hypernym: haunt
    2. (zoology) Any of various similar structures or sites used by other animals:
      1. A structure built, or site modified, to incubate eggs, rear young, or shelter a colony.
        mouse nests, wasp nests, skink nests
        Trapdoor spider nests are vertical tubes in the ground, lined with silk.
      2. A temporary structure or modified site created by an animal for sleeping, resting, or protection from the elements.
        Chimpanzees bend and weave fresh tree branches to create a comfortable nest for the night.
        Hyponym: drey
      3. (Ichthyology) A depression, mound, or localized structure prepared by an aquatic animal for spawning and guarding eggs.
        The male stickleback glues together pieces of algae to form a tunnel-like nest to attract a mate.
    3. A snug, comfortable, or cosy residence or job situation.
    4. A retreat, or place of habitual resort.
    5. A hideout for bad people to frequent or haunt; a den.
      a nest of thieves
      That nightclub is a nest of strange people!
      • 1724, Charles Johnson [pseudonym], “Of Capt. Edward England, and His Crew. [A Letter from Captain Makra, dated at Bombay, Nov. 16, 1720.]”, in A General History of the Pyrates, […], 2nd edition, London: Printed for, and sold by T. Warner, […], →OCLC, page 119:
        Capt. Kirby and I concluding it might be of great Service to the Eaſt-India Company to deſtroy such a Neſt of Rogues, were ready to ſail for that Purpoſe […]
      • 1895, Frances Power Cobbe, chapter 10, in Life of Frances Power Cobbe‎[1], volume 1, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, page 254:
        Miss Carpenter told me that a short time previously some Bow Street constables had been sent down to this place to ferret out a crime which had been committed there, and that they reported there was not in all London such a nest of wickedness as they had explored.
    6. A home that a child or young adult shares with a parent or guardian.
      I am aspiring to leave the nest.
    7. (card games) A fixed number of cards in some bidding games awarded to the highest bidder allowing him to exchange any or all with cards in his hand.
      I was forced to change trumps when I found the ace, jack, and nine of diamonds in the nest.
    8. (military) A fortified position for a weapon.
      a machine gun nest
    9. (computing) A structure consisting of nested structures, such as nested loops or nested subroutine calls.
      • 1981, Donnamaie E. White, Bit-Slice Design: Controllers and ALU's‎[2], Garland STPM Press, →ISBN, page 49:
        Subroutine 4 cannot jump out of the subroutine nest in one step. Each return address must be popped from the stack in the order in which it was pushed onto the stack.
      • 1993 August, Bwolen Yang et al., "Do&Merge: Integrating Parallel Loops and Reductions", in Languages and Compilers for Parallel Computing (workshop proceedings), Springer (1994), →ISBN, page 178:
        Our analysis to this point has assumed that in a loop nest, we are only parallelizing a single loop.
    10. A circular bed of pasta, rice, etc. to be topped or filled with other foods.
    11. (geology) An aggregated mass of any ore or mineral, in an isolated state, within a rock.
    12. A collection of boxes, cases, or the like, of graduated size, each put within the one next larger.
    13. A compact group of pulleys, gears, springs, etc., working together or collectively.
    14. (vulgar, slang, now US) The pubic hair near a vulva or a vulva itself.
      Synonyms: beav, beaver
    Quotations
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    Derived terms
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    Terms derived from nest (noun)
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    Translations
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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Etymology 2

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    From Middle English nesten, nisten, from Old English nistan, nistian, from Proto-West Germanic *nistijan (“to nest, build a nest”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian näästje (“to nest”), Dutch nesten (“to nest”), German Low German nüsten (“to nest”), German nisten (“to nest”).

    Verb

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    An olive-backed sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) nesting in Singapore

    nest (third-person singular simple present nests, present participle nesting, simple past and past participle nested)

    1. (intransitive, of animals) To build or settle into a nest.
    2. (intransitive) To settle into a home.
      We loved the new house and were nesting there in two days!
    3. (intransitive) To successively neatly fit inside another.
      I bought a set of nesting mixing bowls for my mother.
    4. (transitive) To place in, or as if in, a nest.
    5. (transitive) To place one thing neatly inside another, and both inside yet another (and so on).
      There would be much more room in the attic if you had nested all the empty boxes.
    6. (intransitive) To hunt for birds' nests or their contents (usually "go nesting").
      • 1895, Alfred Emanuel Smith, Francis Walton, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
        After the first heavy frost, when acorns were falling, I took a friend into partnership and went nesting.
    Derived terms
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    Translations
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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    See also

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    Anagrams

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    Dutch

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    Etymology

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    From Middle Dutch nest, from Old Dutch nest, from Proto-West Germanic *nest, from Proto-Germanic *nestą. Cognate with English, German Nest etc.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    nest n (plural nesten, diminutive nestje n)

    1. a nest (place to hatch young, especially bird structure)
      Het vogeltje bouwt zijn nest in het riet. ― The little bird builds its nest among the reeds.
    2. (colloquial) a nest (residence; retreat; hideout; home)
      Hij groeide op in een rood nest. ― He grew up in a left-wing household.
    3. (colloquial) one's bed
      Kom uit je nest, ’t is hoogste tijd! ― Get out of bed, it’s high time!
    4. (derogatory) a nasty, ill-behaving or pretentious child; a brat
      Wat een verwend nest! ― What a spoiled, pretentious brat!

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    • Afrikaans: nes
    • Negerhollands: nest, nes
    • → Papiamentu: nèshi, nèishi, nesji

    Elfdalian

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    Etymology

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    From Old Norse næstr, cognate with Swedish näst, English next.

    Preposition

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    nest

    1. by, near

    Latgalian

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    Etymology

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    From Proto-Balto-Slavic *neśtei. Cognates include Latvian nest and Lithuanian nešti.

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): [ˈnʲæsʲtʲ]
    • Hyphenation: nest

    Verb

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    nest (reflexive nestīs)

    1. (transitive) to carry

    Conjugation

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    Positive conjugation of nest (type I verb)
    infinitive nest
    supine nastu
    verbal noun nesšona
    indicative
    past present future
    1st singular nešu nasu nesšu
    2nd singular nesi nes nessi
    3rd singular nese nas ness
    1st plural nesem nasam nessim
    2nd plural neset nasat nessit
    3rd plural nese nas ness
    subjunctive imperative
    1st singular nastum singular nes
    2nd singular nestim
    nastumi         		plural nesit
    3rd singular nastu
    1st plural nastumem debitive juonas
    2nd plural nastumet converb nasdams
    3rd plural nastu
    participles
    past present future
    active ness
    nesis         		nasūšs
    nass         		—
    passive nasts nasoms
    nasom         		—
    oblique ness
    nesis         		nass
    nasūt         		nesškys
    nesšūt
    Negative conjugation of nest (type I verb)
    infinitive nanest
    supine nanastu
    verbal noun nanesšona
    indicative
    past present future
    1st singular nanešu nanasu nanesšu
    2nd singular nanesi nanes nanessi
    3rd singular nanese nanas naness
    1st plural nanesem nanasam nanessim
    2nd plural naneset nanasat nanessit
    3rd plural nanese nanas naness
    subjunctive imperative
    1st singular nanastum singular nanes
    2nd singular nanestim
    nanastumi         		plural nanesit
    3rd singular nanastu
    1st plural nanastumem debitive najuonas
    2nd plural nanastumet converb nanasdams
    3rd plural nanastu
    participles
    past present future
    active naness
    nanesis         		nanasūšs
    nanass         		—
    passive nanasts nanasoms
    nanasom         		—
    oblique naness
    nanesis         		nanass
    nanasūt         		nanesškys
    nanesšūt

    References

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    • M. Bukšs; J. Placinskis (1973), Latgaļu volūdas gramatika un pareizraksteibas vōrdneica, Latgaļu izdevnīceiba, page 167
    • Nicole Nau (2011), A short grammar of Latgalian, München: LINCOM GmbH, →ISBN, page 44

    Latvian

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    Etymology

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    Cognate with Lithuanian nèšti (“to carry, bring”), see there for more.

    Pronunciation

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    Request for audio pronunciation This entry needs an audio pronunciation. If you are a native speaker with a microphone, please record this word. The recorded pronunciation will appear here when it's ready.

    Verb

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    nest (transitive, 1st conjugation, present nesu, nes, nes, past nesu)

    1. (transitive) to carry
    2. (transitive) to bring

    Conjugation

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    Conjugation of nest (1st)
    indicative (īstenības izteiksme) imperative
    (pavēles izteiksme)
    present
    (tagadne)     		past
    (pagātne)     		future
    (nākotne)
    1st person sg es nesu nesu nesīšu —
    2nd person sg tu nes nesi nesīsi nes
    3rd person sg viņš, viņa nes nesa nesīs lai nes
    1st person pl mēs nesam nesām nesīsim nesīsim
    2nd person pl jūs nesat nesāt nesīsiet,
    nesīsit     		nesiet
    3rd person pl viņi, viņas nes nesa nesīs lai nes
    renarrative (atstāstījuma izteiksme) participles (divdabji)
    present nesot present active 1 (adj.) nesošs
    past esot nesis present active 2 (adv.) nesdams
    future nesīšot present active 3 (adv.) nesot
    imperative lai nesot present active 4 (obj.) nesam
    conditional (vēlējuma izteiksme) past active nesis
    present nestu present passive nesams
    past būtu nesis past passive nests
    debitive (vajadzības izteiksme) nominal forms
    indicative (būt) jānes infinitive (nenoteiksme) nest
    conjunctive 1 esot jānes negative infinitive nenest
    conjunctive 2 jānesot verbal noun nešana

    Derived terms

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    • aiznest (“to carry away”)
    • apnest (“to carry around (some obstacle that is on one's path)”)
    • atnest (“to bring (to carry to where the intended recipient is)”)
    • ienest (“to carry in”)
    • iznest (“to carry out”)
    • nasta (“burden”)
    • nēsāt (“to be continuously carrying around; to be wearing; to carry (a fetus)”)
    • nonest (“to carry down”)
    • panesams (“bearable, tolerable”)
    • panest (“to carry a little”)
    • pārnest (“to carry over (some obstacle that is on one's path)”)
    • pārnesta nozīme (“figurative sense”, literally “transferred sense”)
    • pienest (“to carry up to someone”)
    • pienesums (“contribution”)
    • sanest (“to bring, hoard (some objects) together”)
    • sanesums (“snowdrift, accumulation of some material”)
    • uznest (“to carry up”)

    Middle English

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    Alternative forms

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    Etymology

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      From Old English nest, from Proto-West Germanic *nest, from Proto-Germanic *nestą.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      nest (plural nestes)

      1. nest
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      Descendants

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      Middle High German

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      Alternative forms

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      Etymology

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      From Old High German nëst, from Proto-Germanic *nistą.

      Pronunciation

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      • IPA(key): (before 13th CE) /ˈnɛs̠t/

      Noun

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      nëst n

      1. nest

      Declension

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      Declension of nëst (strong neuter with null plural)
      singular plural
      indef. def. noun def. noun
      nominative ein daȥ nëst diu nëst, nëster
      genitive eines dës nëstes dër nëste, nëster
      dative eime dëm nëste dën nësten, nëstern
      accusative ein daȥ nëst diu nëst, nëster

      Norwegian Bokmål

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      Etymology

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      Adverbial form of neste

      Adverb

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      nest

      1. next, second
        nest største - second largest

      Derived terms

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      References

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      Norwegian Nynorsk

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      Etymology

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      Adverbial form of neste

      Adverb

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      nest

      1. next, second
        nest eldst - second oldest

      References

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      Old English

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      Etymology 1

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        From Proto-West Germanic *nest, from Proto-Germanic *nestą. Cognate with Old Church Slavonic гнѣздо (gnězdo, “nest”), Old Irish net (“nest”), Latin nīdus (“nest”), Sanskrit नीड (nīḍa, “nest”), Albanian neth (“sprout, bud”), Old Armenian նիստ (nist, “sitting; seat; property”).

        Pronunciation

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        Noun

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        nest n

        1. nest

        }}

        Declension
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        Strong a-stem:

        singular plural
        nominative nest nest
        accusative nest nest
        genitive nestes nesta
        dative neste nestum
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        Descendants
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        Etymology 2

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        Pronunciation

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        Adjective

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        nest (Anglian)

        1. alternative form of nīehst

        Welsh

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        Pronunciation

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        Verb

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        nest (not mutable)

        1. second-person singular preterite colloquial of gwneud
        Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=nest&oldid=94635640"