/ˈnɛstɪz/, U.S. /ˈnɛstiz/.nestn.
/nɛst/, U.S. /nɛst//ˈnɛstɪz/, U.S. /ˈnɛstiz/. 1. † e. A malformation or gall on a tree, resembling a bird's nest in form; a witches' broom (see witch n. Compounds 2). Obsolete.
a. A structure made or a place chosen by a bird in which to lay and incubate its eggs and (frequently) to rear its young. Cf. bird's nest n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > nest or bird defined by > [noun]
nestOE
bird's nesta1350
the world > animals > by habitat > habitat > [noun] > dwelling place or shelter > nest
nestOE
nesta1425
nidifice1656
nidus1734
tree-nest1924
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. viii. 20 Uulpes foueas habent et uolucres caeli nidos : foxas holas habbas & flegende heofnes nestas uel nesto.
OE Phoenix 213 Wyrta wearmiað, willsele stymeð swetum swæccum, þonne on swole byrneð þurh fyres feng fugel mid neste.
c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 71 Nest is heard utewið of prikinde þornes, inwið nesche & softe.
a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 601 In hole of ston ȝe [sc. the dove] makeð hire nest.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 3670 In ech roche þer is..an ernes nest, þat hii bredeþ inne.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. 10044 In þo roches foules reste & ernes brede & mak þer neste.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xi. 336 (MED) Briddes I bihelde þat in buskes made nestes.
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope i. xiii The egle and his yonge were in theyr nest.
1508 W. Dunbar Goldyn Targe (Chepman & Myllar) in Poems (1998) I. 184 Glading the mery foulis in thair nest.
1594 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 iii. ii. 191 Who findes the partridge in the puttocks neast, But will imagine how the bird came there.
1678 H. Vaughan Thalia Rediviva 63 Birds from the shades of night releast Look round about, then quit the neast.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 145 The Mother Nightingale..Whose Nest some prying Churl had found. View more context for this quotation
1739 D. Hume Treat. Human Nature I. iii. 310 A bird, that chooses with such care and nicety the place and materials of her nest.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth I. 244 On these..are sometimes found, not only earth, but nests with birds eggs.
1822 Ld. Byron Heaven & Earth i. ii, in Liberal 1 174 He hovers nightly, Like a dove round and round its pillaged nest.
1879 J. Beerbohm Wanderings in Patagonia iv. 53 I found the nest to be of the roughest description, being simply a hole scooped in the ground.
1931 H. S. Williams Bk. Marvels 57 Even more notable is the change of habit of the chimney swallow, which now invariably glues the framework of twigs to form its nest inside a chimney.
1988 G. Naylor Mama Day 41 Two sitting hens..are wedged into a corner nest.
2001 Times 2 Apr. i. 16/8 If it turns warmer this week, hedge sparrows and song thrushes will be laying eggs in their nests hidden in the hedges.
b. In proverbial phrases, esp. to foul (also †file) one's own nest. Cf. feather v. 5.
ΚΠ
c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) 100 (MED) Dahet habbe þat ilke best Þat fuleþ his owe nest.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 83 (MED) Þan fond he nest & no neiȝ for nouȝt nas þer leued.
c1410 (c1350) Gamelyn (Harl. 7334) 610 (MED) Tho fond þe scherreue nest but non ay.
c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Katherine (Arun. 396) (1893) v. 1594 (MED) It is neyther wurshipful ne honest On-to mankeende to foule soo his nest.
1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. lxxi It is a lewde byrde that fyleth his owne nest.
1599 N. Breton Wil of Wit (1876) 57/2 The proverbe sayes, ‘That it is an evill birde, will file its owne nest.’
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) ii. 7 Were it not for..profaneness, these men would be dull, and (as we say) dead on the nest.
1676 tr. A. Thevet Prosopographia (new ed.) 77 in T. North tr. Plutarch Lives (new ed.) By this means the Spaniards found nothing in the Nest.
1823 J. Galt Entail II. xx. 190 It's a foul bird that files its ain nest.
1877 W. Cross Disruption (ed. 2) vi. 29/2 Ye ha'e fairly brocht me intil the corbie's nest.
1905 Westm. Gaz. 15 Aug. 4/2 It is a wise bird that will not foul its own nest, if this portmanteau proverb may be allowed.
1975 M. Babson There must be some Mistake vi. 36 The wise executive doesn't foul his own nest.
c. A place or structure occupied by a colony of social insects.
ΚΠ
c1390 G. Chaucer Prioress's Tale 1749 Oure firste foo, the serpent Sathanas..hath in Iewes herte his waspes nest.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Gouernaunce of Princis (1993) xxvi. 100 The emotis gaderis to thair provisiouns for agaynis the wynter to thair nestis.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 786 Hee ha's a Sonne: who shall be..set on the head of a Waspes Nest . View more context for this quotation
1818 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. II. xvi. 60 Which sent most of the ants in a fright to the nest.
a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xiii. 348 The black termite of Ceylon resembles the black wood-ant in colour, in many of its ways, in its nest in a hollow tree, and even in its smell.
1991 R. R. McCammon Boy's Life i. iii. 33 I unpacked my knapsack in Ben's room, where he had nifty collections of baseball cards, bottle caps, and wasps' nests.
d. A place or structure used by an animal as a den or place to rear its young, or as a spawning ground.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habitat > habitat > [noun] > dwelling place or shelter > nest
nestOE
nesta1425
nidifice1656
nidus1734
tree-nest1924
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 6504 It is but foly to entremete, To seke in houndes nest fat mete.
1594 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 iii. ii. 86 Foretelling Winds, said, seeke not a scorpions neast.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 116 A Snake..Leaving his Nest, and his imperfect Young. View more context for this quotation
1736 Compl. Family-piece ii. i. 225 The Does [of rabbits] prevent them by stopping or covering their Stocks or Nests with Earth or Gravel.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth IV. 77 They [sc. dormice] inhabit woods or very thick hedges, forming their nests in the hollow of some tree.
1835 W. Kirby On Power of God in Creation of Animals II. xxi. 384 Fishes..sometimes..prepare regular nests for their young.
1899 19th Cent. Sept. 400 Spring floods..wash out the nests [of salmon] by wholesale.
1969 R. F. Chapman Insects ii. 29 Development of fleas usually occurs in the nest of the host.
1993 Northumbrian No. 25. 24/1 It is impossible to tell they are pregnant and when they farrow the boarlets are hidden in a nest.
2000 New Scientist 15 Apr. 19/1 Each nest contains 15 to 30 round grapefruit-sized eggs containing bones of titanosaurs, which could weigh 15 tonnes when grown.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > disease or injury > [noun] > associated with particular type of plant > trees > excrescence or malformation
wen1538
measles1601
nest1887
1887 W. Phillips Man. Brit. Discomycetes 404 Producing ‘nests’, or ‘witches' besoms’, on birch.
2. † d. Architecture. A niche. Obsolete. rare.Probably a mistranslation of French niche, after the verb nicher to nest. See also nesset n.
a. A place in which a person (or personified thing) lives or finds rest; a lodging, shelter, home, bed, etc., esp. of a secluded or comfortable nature; a snug retreat.In quot. OE1 at sense 1a with reference to Job 29:18.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > accommodation or lodging > [noun] > lodging-place
nestOE
inningOE
hostela1325
lodgingsc1380
lodging-place14..
entry1457
logis1477
hospital?a1513
stay1566
lodge1571
allodgement1598
lodgementa1701
gite1798
put-up1844
hang-out1852
shebang1867
stash1927
pad1935
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > other dwelling places > [noun] > secluded or retreat
nestling place1589
hermitage1648
burrow1650
eyrie1794
nookery1824
love nest1853
nest1865
embowering1882
OE Phoenix 553 Ic in minum neste neobed ceose, hæle hrawerig.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 108 Wið innen þe iþi breoste þer godes neest is.
?a1250 Scribble (Salisbury 150) in C. Sisam & K. Sisam Salisbury Psalter (1959) 1 Mabbe þe deuel þe habbe and bere to his oȝene neste..& frete.
?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 83 (MED) Þi bodi deþ sal qwench; Þe pouer chest ssal be þi nest.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Hab. (Douce 369(2)) ii. 9 Woo to hym that gadrith euyl coueitise to his hous, that his nest [L. nidus] be in heeȝ.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) 22556 (MED) Lorde, quere salle we þan rest quen we mai naure-quere finde a nest?
c1500 (?a1437) Kingis Quair (1939) clxxiii That place..Quhich is thy first and verray proper nest.
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. ii. sig. Fiv Husband..I wold we were in our nest.
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. v. sig. E6 A little cottage, like some poore mans nest . View more context for this quotation
a1718 W. Penn Life in Wks. (1726) I. 194 How to raise to your selues a great Name and Estate to exalt your Nests.
1785 W. Cowper Task i. 227 I called the low-roofed lodge the Peasant's Nest.
1822 P. B. Shelley To Jane: Recoll. 11 The lightest wind was in its nest, The tempest in its home.
1865 Times 30 Aug. In one of the third-floor rooms of my hotel,..a nest of unspotted tidiness.
1929 H. Crane Let. c23 Oct. (1965) 347 Then to come back to town and see you again in your sweet, new, cheerful, rosy little nest!
1955 V. Nabokov Lolita I. xxxii. 140 I was forced to devote a dangerous amount of time..to arranging the bed in such a way as to suggest the abandoned nest of a restless father and his tomboy daughter.
1989 Boardroom July 93/3 Ethospace maintains the semi-screened nest, where it's possible to sit, stretch, stand, swivel round to greet a visitor and see out across the floor space—yet still preserve the privacy of papers on the desk.
b. A place in which a thing is lodged or deposited; a receptacle in which a thing is held or nestles snugly.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > [noun]
receivera1398
resetc1400
receipta1425
receptaclec1425
repository1485
receptorya1500
pot1503
container?1504
hold1517
containing?1541
continent?1541
receptable1566
nest1589
conceptacle1611
keep1617
house1625
reception1646
inholder1660
conceptaculum1691
penholder1815
holder1833
carrier1855
compactum1907
1589 T. Cooper Admon. People of Eng. 22 The excessive buildings and needelesse nestes of mens treasures.
1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Ll2 To obserue, what cauities, nestes & receptacles the humors doe finde in the parts. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Evelyn Numismata vii. 251 Taking them [sc. medals] out of their respective Nests and Localities.
1751 H. Purefoy Let. 12 Oct. (1931) II. xi. 287 I want six little black boxes..(to hold notes & receipts) to be made of these Dimensions, so as to go each black box into one of these nests.
1842 L. Hunt Palfrey iv. 15 Their drowsy noses droop'd alway To meet the beard's attractive nest.
1994 Guardian 24 Sept. 45/2 I have never experienced the exquisite high that comes with unwrapping the softly moulded leather from its tissuey nest and..fingering lingeringly the swooning dip from heel to tip.
c. coarse slang (now U.S.). The female genitals or pubic hair.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > sex organs > female sex organs > [noun]
cuntc1230
quivera1382
chosec1386
privy chosea1387
quoniamc1405
naturec1470
shell1497
box1541
water gate1541
mouth1568
quiver case1568
water gap1586
cunnya1593
medlar1597
mark1598
buggle-boo1600
malkin1602
lap1607
skin coat1611
quim1613
nest1614
watermilla1626
bum1655
merkin1656
twat1656
notch1659
commodity1660
modicum1660
crinkum-crankum1670
honeypot1673
honour1688
muff1699
pussy1699
puss1707
fud1771
jock1790
cock?1833
fanny?1835
vaginac1890
rug1893
money-maker1896
Berkeley1899
Berkeley Hunt1899
twitchet1899
mingea1903
snatch1904
beaver1927
coozie1934
Sir Berkeley1937
pocketbook1942
pranny1949
zatch1950
cooch1955
bearded clam1962
noonie1966
chuff1967
coozea1968
carpet1981
pum-pum1983
front bum1985
coochie1986
punani1987
front bottom1991
va-jay-jay2000
1614–15 in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 135 Although he had catched some of the hayre, yet hee lefte the nest behynde.
1693 R. Ames Folly of Love (ed. 2) 8 The forward Girl..Although her amorous Nest is hardly Feather'd, Nay, scarcely ripe, yet longs she to be gather'd.
1772 G. A. Stevens Songs Comic & Satyrical 125 Here's the Nest in that Bush, and the Bird-nesting Lover.
a1796 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 259 And yet, ye offer your protest, Ye never herried Maggy's nest.
1865 ‘Philocomus’ Love Feast vi. 45 When we are quite undress'd, Each then must show her mossy nest.
1940 in J. E. Lighter Hist. Dict. Amer. Slang (1997) II. 649/1 Her nest..was wet.
1969 C. Himes Blind Man with Pistol x. 106 The sheet flew from the rest of her, revealing her big hairy nest.
1988 R. Hemley All you can Eat (1990) 60 So I say, ‘Woman, you pass the test,’ but when I reach down to her nest [etc.].
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > other elements > [noun] > niche
cant1604
niche1610
nesset1614
nest1640
aedicula1672
retreat1687
retirement1726
kiblah1775
alcove1786
inset1829
aedicule1832
niche work1848
niche ornament1851
niche-band1867
tabernacle-niche1886
1640–1 in A. Wood Life & Times (O.H.S.) IV. 57 To Mr. Jackson for makeing the nest of the king's picture in the Librarie, 6li.
e. Military. A concealed or protected post or emplacement for a group of guns, etc.; frequently = machine-gun nest n. at machine gun n. Compounds 2b.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > small-arm > [noun] > machine-gun > group of
nest1914
1914 E. A. Powell Fighting in Flanders v. 120 Other wagons..contained ‘nests’ of nine machine-guns.
1949 ‘G. Orwell’ Nineteen Eighty-four i. 8 A maze of barbed-wire entanglements, steel doors and hidden machine-gun nests.
1974 C. Ryan Bridge too Far iii. iii. 153 Some men remember seeing the tops of haystacks open to disclose nests of 88 and 20 mm. guns.
1985 London Mag. Oct. 29 There were two armoured vehicles in front of the court. There were 200 men armed with rifles and machine-guns, and nests on the roof.
3.
a. A group of birds, insects, or other animals, occupying the same nest or habitation; a brood, a swarm, a colony. Chiefly with of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animals collectively > [noun] > occupying same habitat
nestOE
OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xiii. 34 Hu oft ic wolde þine bearn gegaderian swa se fugel deð his nest under his fiðerum.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1961) Deut. xxii. 6 Goynge by þe weye in tre or in erþe anest [L. nidum] of bryd þou fyndyst.
c1450 Terms Assoc. in Rev. Eng. Stud. (1962) 13 232 (MED) A neste of fawnes.
?1478 Lydgate's Horse, Goose & Sheep (Caxton) (1822) 29 An erthe of foxes: a neste of rabettis.
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. v. sig. Hv He hath a nest of chekyns.
1589 ‘Pasquill of England’ Returne of Pasquill sig. Div They swell at him with enuie like a nest of foule Toades.
1642 C. Vernon Considerations Excheqver 88 Men will be wary how they..provoke a nest of waspes.
1728 A. Pope Corr. 23 Mar. (1956) II. 480 How much that nest of Hornets are my regard, will easily appear to you.
1762 Philos. Trans. 1761 (Royal Soc.) 52 42 The undulating motion of a nest of caterpillars, when climbing the trunk of some vegetable.
1818 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. II. xvi. 62 A nest of ants..discovered a closet..in which conserves were kept.
1881 G. W. Cable Mme. Delphine ii. 6 Like a nest of yellow kittens.
1925 W. Faulkner Let. 13 Apr. in Thinking of Home (1992) 199 The ‘rookery’ across the way was like a nest of crows all day, with black-robed priests flitting in and out.
1987 R. Hall Kisses of Enemy (1990) iv. xcxix. 548 He arrived complete with his nest of mice, a light blanket smothering his lap for privacy.
b. A number or collection of people, esp. of the same type or class, or inhabiting or frequenting the same place. Frequently in nest of vipers (see viper n. 2).
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social relations > association, fellowship, or companionship > a company or body of persons > [noun] > pack
packa1393
kennela1586
nest1589
cry1604
canaille1688
1589 J. Lyly Pappe with Hatchet sig. Cij It was one of your neast, that writt this for a loue letter.
1644 (title) A nest of perfidious vipers.
1648 R. Crashaw Steps to Temple (ed. 2) 95 Asham'd that our world now can show Nests of new Seraphims here below.
1695 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) III. 531 This week a whole nest of clippers were discovered by one Smith in hopes to gett a pardon.
1721 N. Amhurst Terræ-filius (1726) xx. 101 Should I call the whole university of Oxford a nest of fools.
1778 King George III in T. Hutchinson Diary II. 217 They [sc. the Americans] are a sad nest.
1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe III. xii. 307 The flitches of bacon and measures of corn, out of which they wheedled poor serfs and bondsmen, in exchange for their prayers—the nest of foul ungrateful vipers.
1864 J. H. Burton Scot Abroad II. i. 94 A little nest of Covenanting refugee clergy.
1874 Thistleton's Illustr. Jolly Giant 26 Sept. III. 152/2 The Police..had become a regular nest of Ancient Order of Hibernians.
1967 N. Lucas CID xi. 161 Alert for any scrap of information that would give a clue to ‘nests’ of Irish extremists.
1992 B. Unsworth Sacred Hunger xlv. 494 Any loss or damage would be favourably viewed, since it would have occurred in the course of smoking out a nest of vipers in the heart of His Majesty's Province.
4.
a. A place in which some quality or state of affairs (esp. of an evil or unhealthy kind) is fostered or prevalent; a haunt (or occasionally a source or cause) of crime, vice, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > [noun] > in which something takes place or prevails
nestc1390
grounda1400
seat1565
scene1593
locus in quoa1638
the scene of (the) action1650
sitea1657
venuea1843
c1390 G. Chaucer Man of Law's Tale 364 O feyned womman, al that may confounde Vertu and innocence..Is bred in thee as nest of euery vice.
a1400 in 6th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS: Pt. I (1877) App. 319 in Parl. Papers (C. 1745) XLVII. 1 Ches anoþer which þe likþ best to be oure hord broder and dedliche sennes nest.
1576 G. Gascoigne Steele Glas (1868) 60 Gold, which is..The neast of strife, and nourice of debate.
1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet v. iii. 151 I heare some noyse Lady, come from that nest Of death, contagion, and vnnaturall sleepe. View more context for this quotation
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 35 Scarce one in a long time gastred out of his neast of forme or profanenesse.
1879 F. W. Farrar Life & Work St. Paul I. iii. ix. 177 Damascus, he had heard, was now the worst nest of this hateful delusion.
1899 F. T. Bullen Way Navy 75 The ship is a very nest of rumours.
1969 A. Christie Hallowe'en Party xv. 170 They'd say anything in this nest of gossip.
1984 T. C. Boyle Budding Prospects (1985) iii. vii. 201 The place was a sink of enmity, a nest of yahooism.
1991 P. J. O'Rourke Parl. Whores (1992) 137 Dixon..had discovered a gruesome nest of drug behavior—a crack house, shooting gallery, dope bazaar and place to get a cheap blowjob all in one.
b. A lair, den, or other place usually inhabited or frequented by people of a certain type or class (esp. those of an evil or criminal disposition).
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > a dwelling > other types of dwelling > [noun] > dwelling of specific types of people
nesta1393
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > a dwelling > other types of dwelling > [noun] > dwelling of specific types of people > of thieves or criminals
denc1275
case?1536
ken1567
nest1617
lumber1753
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iv. 1669 Now thei [priests] rucken in here nest.
c1395 G. Chaucer Summoner's Tale 1691 Hold vp thy tayl thow Sathanas..and lat the frere se Where is the nest of freres.
c1475 tr. A. Chartier Quadrilogue (Univ. Coll. Oxf.) (1974) 223 The grete theevis..susteyne a nest of othir smale theeuys.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 741 The king of Englande woulde not haue suffered the French kyng to haue buylded such a couert nest so nere his towne of Calice.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 272 He had razed Hen. Ovington's Castle, and Mac Hughes Iland, which both had been neasts and starting holes for theeves.
1622 (?a1513) W. Dunbar Poems (Reidpeth) (1998) I. 175 Ȝour burgh of beggeris is ane nest.
1753 T. Woodroofe in J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea I. lvi. 377 This is said to have been formerly a nest of robbers.
1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall I. x. 285 The western and mountainous part of Cilicia, formerly the nest of those daring pyrates.
1843 G. Borrow Bible in Spain II. vi. 115 Were the friars still in their nest above there.
1869 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest III. xii. 126 The hill-fortress became a mere nest of robbers.
1980 G. Priestland At Large (1983) 35 The envoy was brusquely told that mission schools were ‘nests of spies’.
5. † b. A connected or interacting series of gearwheels or pulleys. Obsolete.
a. A set or series of similar objects, esp. such a set or series designed to be contained in the same receptacle, or so made that each smaller one is enclosed in, or fits into, the larger one nearest in size to it. nest of counters was common in the 15th and 16th cent., nest of goblets in the 16th cent., and nest of drawers in the first half of the 18th cent.; now frequently in nest of tables.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > group > set of things to be used or made together
gang?1340
pair1351
suit1424
nest1467
cast1535
set1561
stander1578
shift1592
casea1616
set-out1806
1467 in N. S. B. Gras Early Eng. Customs Syst. (1918) 616 Item, pro vii nests counters, val. lxx s.
1496 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 300 A nest of cowntouris to the King.
1524 in J. Raine Testamenta Eboracensia (1884) V. 190 My nest of my goblettes.
1540 Act 32 Hen. VIII c. 14 Item for euery nest of compters, xviii. s.
1582 Rates Custome House (new ed.) sig. Civ v Hampers the nest containing three iij.s. iiij.d.
1616 B. Jonson Epicœne iv. i, in Wks. I. 565 Hee has got on his whole nest of night-caps. View more context for this quotation
1631 in Ipswich Probate Inventories 1583–1631 (1981) 110 A neast of boxes.
1648 N. Ward Mercurius Anti-mechanicus 28 I leave thee to toyle and labour in th' labyrinth of mystical mistake-all, which is like a Nest of Drawers.
1658 F. Osborne Advice to Son in Wks. (1673) 231 They are all contained within the compass of a just proportion (like a nest of boxes).
1704 London Gaz. No. 4060/5 One Nest of Drawers.
1785 R. Cumberland Observer No. 50. ⁋2 He has now gone pretty nearly through my whole nest of shelves.
1807 R. Southey Lett. from Eng. I. 155 Here is also a nest of tables for the ladies, consisting of four, one less than another, and each fitting into the one above it.
1849 A. R. Smith Pottleton Legacy vii. 37 There are nests of flower-pots, rakes, water-pots.
1863 J. Tyndall Heat (1870) v. §184. 148 Here is a nest of watch glasses.
1924 R. Keable Recompence iv. 76 A delightful nest of occasional tables.
1959 A. Koestler Sleepwalkers i. iv. 64 A nest of spheres-within-spheres.
1973 J. Leasor Host of Extras i. 17 A nest of spanners and some lengths of wire that might come in useful in starting an engine.
1986 New Yorker 3 Mar. 59/1 They had a breadbox, a camp stove, a nest of aluminium pots.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > set of
wheelwork1670
nest1874
wheel-train1888
1874 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. I. 726/1 Double-gear, the nests of variable-speed gear-wheels in the head-stock of a lathe.
a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. II. 1521/2 Nest, a connected series of cog-wheels or pulleys.
c. Chiefly Computing. A set of nested files, subroutines, or other entities.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [noun] > control structure > types of
loop1947
rule1950
switch1951
nest1963
the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > syntax or word order > syntactic relations > [noun] > subordination > set of nested units
nest1985
1963 IBM Systems Jrnl. 2 318 A complete do nest is treated as an optimization unit, whereas the basic block was used in the non- do case.
1972 Computer Jrnl. 15 199/1 When a stream is formed from a deep nest of stream functions, processing a single character can involve many function calls.
1985 Word 36 146 Recursion is also frequent on the phrase level where such nests occur as the serious study of that two thirds of the surface of the earth.
1993 E. S. Raymond New Hacker's Dict. (ed. 2) 396 It can be worthwhile to tune for better locality by inverting double loops or by partially unrolling the outer loop of a loop nest.
6.
a. An accumulation, cluster, or collection of similar objects or immaterial things.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun]
queleta1382
congregationc1384
numberc1400
hirselc1425
company1439
assemblement1470
bundle1535
sort1563
raccolta1591
bevy1604
crew1607
congest1625
concoursea1628
nest1630
comportation1633
racemationa1641
assembly1642
collect1651
assemblage1690
faggot1742
museum1755
pash1790
shock1806
consortium1964
1630 J. Taylor in Wks. ii. 262/2 A nest of Epigrams.
1666 G. Alsop Char. Province Maryland 116 A most horrid neast of condemned Evils.
1703 Let. in Pepys' Diary (1893) I. p. 1 There was found in his left kidney a nest of no less than seven stones.
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. II. xv. 161 Making..for a nest of broken hummocks.
1874 E. O. M. Deutsch Lit. Remains 192 Perfect nests of arguments..stolen from the mediæval successors of those same Rabbis.
1991 M. Ripley Angel Touch 200 She asked us to wait and indicated a nest of Bauhaus leather armchairs.
b. A number of buildings, or of narrow streets, lying in close proximity to one another.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > part of town or city > [noun] > row or street of buildings > other groups of buildings
place1585
gardens1642
nest1787
1787 J. Byng Diary 28 July in Torrington Diaries (1934) I. 271 Every turn of the river produces a village, or a nest of cottages.
1796 W. Combe Hist. Thames II. 165 Durham House was become a nest of wharfs and warehouses.
1861 T. A. Trollope La Beata II. xvi. 157 They entered the nest of little quiet streets.
1875 A. Helps Social Pressure ii. 16 A little London boy, born and bred in some hideous nest of alleys.
1978 S. Sheldon Bloodline xvi. 191 A nest of research buildings, manufacturing plants, experimental laboratories, planning divisions, and railroad spurs.
1997 I. Sinclair Lights out for Territory (1998) 125 Runners plucked at the sleeves of potential punters they hoped to lead to a nest of pornographic bookshops.
7.
a. Mineralogy. An isolated and now usually small or compact deposit of a mineral or metal occurring within another formation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > minerals > mineral deposits > [noun] > isolated deposit
nest1715
bunch1815
pocket1848
boulder1861
1715 G. Cheyne Philos. Princ. Relig. (ed. 2) i. v. 278 A Hill, is nothing but the Nest of some Mettle or Mineral, either of Stone, Iron, Tin, Copper, or such like lower Vegetables.
1725 T. Thomas in Portland Papers (Hist. MSS. Comm.) VI. 120 Near his house has been discovered..a considerable silver mine, or, as they call it, a nest of silver.
1794 R. Kirwan Elements Mineral. (ed. 2) I. 188 Generally found in nests or veins of rocks.
1833 C. Lyell Princ. Geol. III. 371 The secondary rocks..contain nests and small veins of..iron and copper pyrites.
1875 J. W. Dawson Life's Dawn on Earth ii. 13 Strata often diversified with veins and nests of crystalline minerals.
1959 Mineral. Abstr. 14 54/1 Obruchevite..occurs in association with garnet and other minerals as nests and irregular masses up to 5 cm. in diameter.
1997 Jrnl. Cave & Karst Stud. 59 87/1 The speleotherm, referred to as a ‘nest’..is known from only one location in the world, in the Geophysicheskaya Cav, Kugitangou Mountains, Turkmenistan.
b. Pathology and Biology. A circumscribed group of cells surrounded by cells or tissue of another type or appearance.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > substance > cell > types of cells > [noun] > motile or amoebic cell > cluster of
nest1871
cell nest1873
swarm1900
macula densa1942
1871 T. H. Green Introd. Pathol. & Morbid Anat. 177 These masses are the ‘concentric globes’, or ‘epithelial nests’, which are so characteristic of epithelioma.
1884 M. Mackenzie Man. Dis. Throat & Nose II. 413 The microscopic characters of lupus are..infiltration of the integument with small cells arranged in ‘nests’.
1912 A. S. Grünbaum Essent. Morbid Histol. ii. 11 In epithelial cancer, the result is the formation of somewhat typical cell nests, which are composed of concentric groups of keratinised cells.
a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xiii. 252 The nest of cells which start new organs are called imaginal disks, not a very intelligible name till we recall that ‘imago’ is the technical title of the winged or full formed insect.
1968 New Eng. Jrnl. Med. 28 Mar. 697/2 Other nests of Leydig cells, some containing crystalloids of Reinke, were present elsewhere in the hilar region.
1987 E. W. Burr Compan. Bird Med. xxxiii. 236/1 Microscopically the tumor is composed of small nests of cells separated by a moderate amount of fibrous connective tissue.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive.† nest-door n. Obsolete† nest part n. Obsolete† nest plumage n. Obsolete
nest-burrow n.
ΚΠ
1925 Sci. Monthly 21 258 Small mining bees, each female of which makes a little nest burrow in a claybank in which it lays an egg.
1961 G. Durrell Whispering Land ii. 55 Once the parent bird [sc. a penguin] reached the edge of the colony it had run the gauntlet of several thousand youngsters before it reached its own nest-burrow and babies.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habitat > habitat > [noun] > dwelling place or shelter > nest > opening in a nest
nest-door1818
1818 J. Keats Endymion i. 38 Within the space Of a swallow's nest-door.
nest factory n.
ΚΠ
1908 Westm. Gaz. 19 Aug. 5/3 The Hungarian Government go so far as to pay large sums of money in subsidies to artificial nest factories, these nests being fixed in the forests by the thousand and regularly looked after.
nest-hole n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habitat > habitat > [noun] > dwelling place or shelter > nest > place for
nidaryc1660
nest-hole1851
nest room1851
nesting territory1923
1851 Fraser's Mag. Sept. 294/1 To penetrate..down to the very bottom of deep nest-holes in walls or sand-banks..of the mason wasp.
1988 Conservation Biol. 2 328 Acorn woodpecker breeding strategy as affected by starling nest-hole competition.
nest-mate n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > young bird > [noun] > nestling(s)
nestlingc1450
birdling1611
nestler1611
broodling1673
gorlin1721
nest-matea1834
broodlet1866
downy1911
nidicole1962
the world > animals > birds > nest or bird defined by > [noun] > bird that builds or lives in > one of a group in nest
nest-matea1834
a1834 S. T. Coleridge Char. in Compl. Wks. (1854) VII. 326 His old nest-mates chang'd their note.
1941 J. S. Huxley Uniqueness of Man x. 214 The nestling cuckoo..does not know why he is murdering his fellow nest-mates.
1994 Sci. Amer. June 52/1 For many centuries, naturalists have observed that honeybees tell their nestmates about discoveries they make beyond the hive.
nest material n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > nest or bird defined by > [noun] > material used for
nest material1850
1850 Fraser's Mag. July 30/1 I have observed these..birds..waiting about for a long time with nest-materials and food in their bills.
1953 N. Tinbergen Herring Gull's World vii. 68 We often wondered how another gull knew whether a grass-pulling gull was in an aggressive mood or merely collecting nest-material.
1989 M. Birkhead & T. Birkhead Survival Factor (BNC) 70 The female [sc. zebra finch] sits inside the nest while the male goes off collecting nest material.
ΚΠ
1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 164 Close up between the nest part and jaw of the block.
nest-place n.
ΚΠ
1856 W. J. Grayson Chicora ii, in Hireling & Slave 94 Gathering flocks of sea-birds find A nest-place in the tufted grass.
1879 E. Arnold Light of Asia 15 Wild swans..voyaging..To their nest-places.
1953 N. Tinbergen Herring Gull's World (1963) xv. 128 I watched a similar decision as to nest-place by Red-necked Phalaropes.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > feather > [noun] > down or down-feather > on unfledged bird
paddock-hair1808
nest plumage1854
neossoptile1893
1854 Zoologist 12 4267 Describing the nest plumage from a dark specimen.
nest-relief n.
ΚΠ
1923 J. S. Huxley Ess. Biologist iii. 112 After the eggs [of the Louisiana Heron] are laid both sexes brood, and there is a nest-relief four times in every twenty-four hours.
1953 N. Tinbergen Herring Gull's World xvi. 136 The variation in the behaviour of the birds at nest-relief is primarily due to variations in the intensity of the incubation urge.
nest room n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habitat > habitat > [noun] > dwelling place or shelter > nest > place for
nidaryc1660
nest-hole1851
nest room1851
nesting territory1923
1851 J. Broderip in Fraser's Mag. May 561/1 Almost every tree bore nests, wherever there was nest-room in the branches.
1886 P. Robinson Valley Teetotum Trees 159 Turtle-doves recompense us by their beauty for our trifling concession of nest room.
nest scrape n. [ < scrape n.1 4c]
ΚΠ
1953 N. Tinbergen Herring Gull's World ii. 11 When the birds of a pair make a nest-scrape together..they make a queer rhythmical sound.
2003 Ottawa Citizen 19 Apr. c4 Eve Ticknor has seen two eggs and from the way the falcon settled in the nest scrape, there might be three.
nest site n.
ΚΠ
1867 Amer. Naturalist 1 161 Several Flycatchers and Warblers..are pairing and selecting nest sites.
1930 J. Huxley Bird-watching & Bird Behaviour iii. 53 Each breeding pair occupies and defends against intrusion a considerable area around its nest-site.
1978 Audubon Mar. 58/2 The nest site is usually a cavity in a cliff. There are no trimmings.
1988 Conservation Biol. 2 363 The availability of nectar and larval food plants for butterflies as well as nest sites for bumblebees.
nest tree n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > [noun] > as home for birds or bees
nest tree1766
bee-tree1782
raven-tree1789
1766 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. ii. 76 After the breeding season rooks forsake their nest-trees.
1991 M. Halvorson To Everything a Season 150 Finally, I got..[the fledgling] away from the cat, apparently unhurt. I stuck it back into the nest tree.
b. Objective.
(a) † nest-wright n. Obsolete
nest-builder n.
ΚΠ
1854 J. Wilson Recreations of Christopher North 16 Shilfa, the beautiful nest-builder, shivering his white-plumed wings.
1863 ‘G. Eliot’ Romola I. iii. 50 When the towers fall,..it is an ill-business for the small nest-builders.
1991 N. Mailer Harlot's Ghost i. iii. 35 Seen as a self-absorbed nest-builder, I was able to get copies of hot stuff out in my briefcase along with reams of papers I was entitled to withdraw.
nest-maker n.
ΚΠ
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Annicheur A nestler; a nest-maker.
1864–5 J. G. Wood Homes without Hands (1868) xxvii. 514 When in a state of liberty..it is an admirable nest-maker.
1989 Entomologist 108 169 Had the nest not been collected when it was, probably none of the offspring of either of the two nestmakers would have survived.
nest-raiding n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > stealing animals > [noun] > stealing eggs from nest
nest-raiding1937
1937 Brit. Birds 31 205 The evidence for nest raiding is so scanty as to lead to the conclusion that it is not a usual habit.
1953 D. A. Bannerman Birds Brit. Isles I. 15 It is in the early morning..that the crow carries out most of its nest-raiding.
nest robber n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > stealers of animals > [noun] > robber of nests
nest robber1866
all-nighter1892
1866 J. G. Wood Homes without Hands 200 Snakes,..inveterate nest-robbers,..are effectually debarred from entering the nests.
1984 Times 12 Mar. 4/1 The society [sc. the RSPB] was involved in almost 30 prosecutions, and in one case two nest robbers in Shetland were fined the full amount.
nest-taking n.
ΚΠ
1894 Daily News 8 Dec. 5/4 The former Act..did not forbid nest-taking or egg-stealing in general.
ΚΠ
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge v. 152 Apprenticeship to the craft of a Nestwright.
(b) † nest-composing adj. Obsolete† nest-deserted adj. Obsolete† nest-keeping adj. Obsolete
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habitat > [adjective] > that builds nests
nest-composing1601
pensile1791
nest-building1826
branch-building1868
1601 R. Chester Loves Martyr 122 The artificiall nest-composing Swallow.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > nest or bird defined by > [adjective] > that has deserted its nest
nest-deserted1856
1856 E. B. Browning Aurora Leigh i. 2 As restless as a nest-deserted bird.
ΚΠ
1851 Zoologist 9 3123 Capturing flies among the gay petals for his nest-keeping partner.
(c)
nest-building n. and adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habitat > [adjective] > that builds nests
nest-composing1601
pensile1791
nest-building1826
branch-building1868
the world > animals > birds > nest or bird defined by > [noun] > building nests
nest-building1826
1826 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1971) VI. 571 Twittering nest-building Birds.
1895 Daily News 19 Dec. 2/3 A lesson from the magpie on the art of nest-building.
1982 I. Hamilton Robert Lowell xiv. 224 Lowell had, of course, come close to ‘settling down’ before, and on at least two occasions the prospect had induced a lively panic; he had recoiled from Jean Stafford's nest-building efforts.
nest-making n. and adj.
ΚΠ
1817 T. S. Raffles Hist. Java I. 51 The materials commonly employed in nest-making.
1972 Sunday Mail Mag. (Brisbane) 3 Sept. 4 Bettongs..are the ‘nest-making rat-kangaroos’ and use their long flexible tails for the transport of nesting materials.
1990 D. Attenborough Trials of Life vi. 147 One group of birds has particular problems in nest-making.
C2. † nest-cock n. Obsolete an overindulged or spoilt child; cf. nestle-cock n.† nest-cockle n. Obsolete = nestle-cock n.† nest-frame n. Printing Obsolete a frame in which cases which are not in use are stored.† nest-gut n. Obsolete in dull in the nest-gut: (perhaps) in low spirits.† nest spring n. Obsolete a spring consisting of several concentric coils.† nest-sugar n. Obsolete rare = trehala n.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > [noun] > youngest child
nestling1572
reckling1611
swill-pough1611
nestle-tripe1616
nest-cock1674
pin basket1706
poke-shakings1808
mother's pet1819
afterthought1891
1674 T. Blount Glossographia (ed. 4) Nescock or Nestcock, one that never was from home, a Fondling or Wanton.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > young bird > [noun] > last hatched or weakest
wretchocka1529
nest-cockle1567
nestle-cock1582
wretchcock1641
wallydraigle1770
nestle-chick1932
1567 G. Fenton tr. M. Bandello Certaine Tragicall Disc. (1898) II. 246 The beauty..of this faire ympp and veraye nestcockle of nature.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Closcuau The Nestling, or Nest-cockle; the last-hatched bird in a neast.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > composing equipment > [noun] > case for type > frame for
frame1658
nest-frame1683
caserack1766
double frame1904
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 12 Nest-Frames to..hold the Cases that may lye out of present use.
ΚΠ
a1657 G. Daniel Idyllia in Poems (1878) IV. iv. 30 We're indeed soe Dull In the Nest-Gutt, wee Crye fasting and full.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > mechanism > [noun] > part of > spring
spring1428
sprent1511
gin1591
resort1598
worm1724
worm-spring1730
scape-spring1825
leaf spring1855
blade-spring1863
nest spring1866
tension spring1877
coil spring1890
1866 Sci. Amer. 14 202 I claim a metallic nest spring, the several separate springs thereof being coiled.
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 633/1 Nest Spring, a spiral spring of several concentric coils.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [noun] > substance of cocoon of larinus maculatus
trehala1862
nest-sugar1890
1890 H. E. Roscoe & C. Schorlemmer Treat. Chem. III. 641 Trehala manna, which is obtained from the nest of a coleopterous insect;..in Persia it is known as nest-sugar.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
nestv.
/nɛst/, U.S. /nɛst/α. Old English nistan, Old English nistian, Old English nystan, Old English nystian, early Middle English nist.
β. early Middle English næsti, early Middle English– nest, 1500s neste, 1600s neast, 1800s ness (regional).
1. Of an animal, esp. a bird.
a. intransitive. To make or have a nest in a particular place.Also (see quot. ?a1300): †to remain alive in a nest, to survive (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > continuance or tenacity of life > continue in life [verb (intransitive)]
nesteOE
to live forthOE
overliveOE
lastc1225
livec1410
survive1473
supervive1532
subsist?1533
skill1537
to live on1590
outlive1594
(to be) to the front1871
the world > animals > by habitat > inhabit [verb (intransitive)] > nest
nesteOE
buildc1275
nidify1656
nestlec1660
nidificate1814
nide1881
eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) ciii. 16 (17) Illic passeres nidificabunt : ðer spearwan nistaðað [read nistað].
eOE Royal Psalter ciii. 17 Illic passeres nidificabunt : þær sperwan nystiað.
c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 70 Fleshlich ancre, þe luieð i flesches lustes..beoð eorð briddes & nisteð on eorðe.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 10855 In ælc of þan æit-londe is a clude..þer næstieð [c1300 Otho nestleþ] arnes.
?a1300 Fox & Wolf 48 in G. H. McKnight Middle Eng. Humorous Tales (1913) 27 Þou hauest that ilke ounder the splen; Thou nestes neuere daies ten, For þine lif-dayes beþ al ago.
1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Hiv/1 To Nest, nidulari.
1587 J. Harmar tr. T. de Bèze Serm. 279 This poore doue,..did shee not nest, and as it were hide her head in secret holes?
1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine ii. xiii. 285 Wild Bees, not civilized in hives, but nesting on the ground.
1680 T. Otway Orphan iv. 54 Let's find some place where Adders nest in Winter.
1773 G. White in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 64 200 I have..seen them nesting in the Borough.
a1806 H. K. White Remains (1807) I. 297 Where nests the raven, sits the toad.
1827 R. Pollok Course of Time II. viii. 143 A thousand snakes..Nest there.
1873 G. C. Davies Mountain, Meadow & Mere xviii. 157 The unsavoury smelling hole..where the same pair of kingfishers nested year after year.
1930 Nature Mag. Mar. 147/3 The spotted owl..has been most closely studied in our southwestern states, where it nests on cliffs or in shallow caves.
1988 M. Moorcock Mother London i. 37 Overhead she saw a kestrel, one of a pair nesting in the roof of an old dancehall.
b. intransitive. To engage in nest-building.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habitat > inhabit [verb (intransitive)] > nest > build
nest1774
1774 G. White in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 65 265 They begin nesting about the middle of May.
1863 H. W. Wheelwright Spring & Summer in Lapland 51 I observed a sparrow with a straw in his beak, evidently nesting.
1995 Experience Lac du Bonnet Spring 38/1 Gray Jays even start nesting in the black spruce forest before the end of February.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > [verb (reflexive)]
lenda1300
nesta1400
lodgec1400
inhabit1413
repair1509
settle1551
stay1558
plant1560
seat1603
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 22556 (MED) Quar sal we þan rest Quen nan sal wite quar þam to nest?
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) 9873 God þat wolde so him nest, In clene stud þen most he rest.
1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 11v Let wood & water request thee, In good corne soile to nest thee.
1588 N. Yonge Musica Transalpina viii. sig. Aivv What meaneth Loue to nest him, in the..eyes..Of my mistres?
1607 R. Parker Scholasticall Disc. against Antichrist i. iii. 151 The fift hipocrisie..neasteth it self in the affections of the heart.
1641 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. 12 Such a ministery establish't in the Gospell, as..nests it selfe in worldly honours.
?1705 E. Hickeringill Vindic. Char. Priest-craft 9 Some nest themselves, like Wasps, only to buz about and sting.
3. transitive (in passive). To be settled, established, or comfortably placed, in or as in a nest.
ΚΠ
?1579 Woorthie Enterprise I. Foxe in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1589) i. 151 The Masters and mariners..being then nested in their owne homes.
1628 O. Felltham Resolves: 2nd Cent. l. sig. R2 If we considered detraction, to be.., nested onely in deficient minds.
1673 W. Temple Observ. United Provinces vi. 192 The Flock of people that for some time had been nested there.
a1754 H. Fielding Jrnl. Voy. Lisbon (1755) 62 The wind had been long nested, as it were, in the south-west.
1834 T. Medwin Angler in Wales I. 155 The side hills are well wooded, and nested among them are some delightful country-houses.
1883 E. Arnold Indian Idylls 241 There perched A thousand crows,..Some nested, some on branchlets, deep asleep.
1977 New Yorker 26 Sept. 28/3 Grand Central Terminal..was thoughtfully nested in a gaggle of noble hotels.
1985 G. Naylor Linden Hills 240 She seemed so content nested down there at the end of Tupelo Drive.
4.
a. intransitive. To lodge as in a nest; to settle in a place. Frequently figurative.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > [verb (intransitive)] > establish residence
wickc897
telda1325
buildc1340
nestlea1382
to take (up) one's inn (or inns)a1400
to hold (also keep, make, take, etc.) one's mansiona1425
to take one's lodgec1475
reside1490
inhabit1548
to settle one's rest1562
to sit down1579
to set up (or in) one's staff (of rest)1584
to set (up) one's rest1590
nest1591
to set down one's rest1591
roost1593
inherit1600
habituate1603
seat1612
to take up (one's) residencea1626
settle1627
pitch1629
fix1638
locate1652
to marry and settle1718
domesticate1768
domiciliate1815
to hang up one's hat1826
domicile1831
to stick one's stakes1872
homestead1877
to put down roots1882
to hang one's hat1904
localize1930
1591 E. Spenser Teares of Muses in Complaints 389 Sweete Love..spotles, as at first he sprong Out of th' Almighties bosome, where he nests.
1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island xii. lxxxvi. 180 Where better could her love then here have nested?
1650 H. Vaughan Silex Scintillans 78 These dark Confusions, that within me nest.
1700 C. Davenant Disc. Grants & Resumptions iii. 109 The Flemings who had nested here in hopes of Booty.
1742 E. Young Complaint: Night the Second 17 To..Join anew Eternity his Sire; In his Immutability to nest.
1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda IV. viii. lviii. 178 This sort of passion had nested in the sweet-natured, strong Rex.
1975 New Yorker 19 May 73/1 I asked Dr. Rozen where he and his wife had nested, and he said that they had stayed at hotels in the Transvaal and in Port Nolloth.
1992 N.Y. Times Mag. 8 Nov. 54/1 Actors do tend to sometimes nest. They've got a little bit that they like doing and then tend to sometimes hold on to it.
b. intransitive. U.S. colloquial. To squat; to settle in a cattle-grazing region as a farmer, homesteader, etc. Cf. nester n. 1. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > [verb (intransitive)] > types of farming
to farm (also hold, etc.) off-hand1807
sharecrop1893
cocky1899
share-farm1903
nest1918
1918 C. E. Mulford Man from Bar-20 xi. 114 Not satisfied with nestin' on a man's range, you had to start a little herd.
1936 E. G. Barnard Rider Cherokee Strip 61 We cowpunchers had no use for the boomers. They came into our country, plowed up good grass, and started to nesting and working like the devil.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > organs of excretion > defecation or urination > defecation > [verb (intransitive)]
dritea1000
to do one's filthheadc1300
shit?c1335
to go to siegec1400
scumbera1425
cack1436
to do one's easementa1438
to ease nature, ease oneselfc1440
skite1449
to do of one's needingsc1475
fen1486
dung1508
spurge1530
to cover his feet1535
lask1540
stool1540
to exonerate nature1542
file1564
fiant1575
cucka1605
wray1620
exonerate1631
excrement1632
to do one's ease1645
sir-reverence1665
excrementizec1670
nest1679
poop1689
move1699
defecate1837
crap1874
mire1918
to make a mess1928
mess1937
to go poo-poo (also poo-poos)1960
potty1972
to do a whoopsie (or whoopsies)1973
pooh1975
1679 T. Kirke Mod. Acct. Scotl. 6 The most mannerly step but to the door, and nest upon the Stairs.
ΚΠ
1844 G. B. Cheever On Bunyan's Pilgr. (1847) iv. 108 Leaves nested with worms and overcurled.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > stealing animals > [verb (intransitive)] > steal eggs from nests
nest1876
1876 Bp. Hannington in Life (1887) x. 146 I nested in the Bishop's garden, and round the belfry tower for swifts' eggs.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habitat > inhabit [verb (transitive)] > build or provide with nest
innest1611
nestlec1660
nest1896
1896 Advance (Chicago) 305 Better be a vine and cling to some grand old pile..and nest its bats and owls.
9.
a. intransitive. To fit one inside another.
ΚΠ
1925 N. E. Odell in E. F. Norton et al. Fight for Everest: 1924 362 Two saucepans that nest into one another.
1992 New Scientist 18 Apr. 44/2 Combinational explosion..is explained with selecting five Russian dolls out of a box at random to find a set that nest inside one another correctly.
b. transitive. To place or fit (an object) inside another, esp. of the same kind; to place (an abstract element or entity) within the scope of another, esp. in a hierarchical structure; to arrange (abstract elements or entities) in a hierarchical conceptual structure. Usually in passive.
ΚΠ
1961 D. V. Huntsberger Elem. Statist. Inference ix. 230 Situations of this sort, where every classification is nested within the next larger one, are called nested or hierarchal classifications.
1968 J. Lyons Introd. Theoret. Linguistics vi. 233 In subordinative constructions one modifier may be recursively ‘nested’ within another.
1982 H. Kissinger Years of Upheaval vii. 281 What emerged was like a Russian matryoshka doll that has progressively smaller models nested each inside the other.
1998 Jrnl. Econ. Lit. 35 2007 For example, we might nest occupations according to SIC occupational codes. But instead we might nest them in terms of some other inherent characteristic such as required education or riskiness.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.OE
v.eOE