nest: Meaning and Definition of

nest

Pronunciation: (nest), [key]
— n.
  1. a pocketlike, usually more or less circular structure of twigs, grass, mud, etc., formed by a bird, often high in a tree, as a place in which to lay and incubate its eggs and rear its young; any protected place used by a bird for these purposes.
  2. a place used by insects, fishes, turtles, rabbits, etc., for depositing their eggs or young.
  3. a number of birds, insects, animals, etc., inhabiting one such place.
  4. a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home.
  5. an assemblage of things lying or set close together, as a series of boxes or trays, that fit within each other: a nest of tables.
  6. a place where something bad is fostered or flourishes: a nest of vice; a robber's nest.
  7. the occupants or frequenters of such a place.
—v.t.
  1. to settle or place (something) in or as if in a nest: to nest dishes in straw.
  2. to fit or place one within another: to nest boxes for more compact storage.
—v.i.
  1. to build or have a nest: The swallows nested under the eaves.
  2. to settle in or as if in a nest.
  3. to fit together or within another or one another: bowls that nest easily for storage.
  4. to search for or collect nests: to go nesting.
  5. to place a routine inside another routine that is at a higher hierarchical level.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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