nest

nest¹ [nest] n

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1¦(birds)¦

2¦(insects/animals)¦

3 leave/fly the nest

4 nest of spies/thieves/intrigue etc

5 nest of tables/boxes etc

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[: Old English;]

1.) ¦(BIRDS)¦

a place made or chosen by a bird to lay its eggs in and to live in

▪ a bird's nest

▪ In May the females build a nest and lay their eggs.

▪ Young eagles are ready to leave the nest after only two months.

2.) ¦(INSECTS/ANIMALS)¦

a place where insects or small animals live

▪ a field mouse's nest

3.) leave/fly the nest

to leave your parents' home and start living somewhere else when you are an adult

▪ Both daughters were of an age where they wanted to fly the nest.

4.) nest of spies/thieves/intrigue etc

a place where people are secretly doing a lot of illegal or dishonest things

5.) nest of tables/boxes etc

a set of tables etc that fit inside each other

→feather your nest at ↑feather² (1), mare's nest at ↑mare, ↑love nest

nest ²

nest² v

1.) [I]

to build or use a nest

▪ They say eagles used to nest in those rocks.

2.) [T]

to organize information, especially in a computer program, so that some of the information is recognized as separate but is included or contained in a larger part of the information

▪ Phrases are nested in the dictionary entry for the first major word.