| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024nest /nɛst/USA pronunciation n. [countable]- Birdsa bowl-shaped or pocketlike structure, often of twigs, grasses, and mud, prepared by a bird for holding eggs until they hatch and for caring for young.
- Animal Behaviorany structure or shelter used for keeping eggs and raising young:a wasps' nest.
- a snug retreat;
refuge. - a set of items that fit close together or one within another:a nest of tables.
- a place where something bad is kept or grows:a nest of thieves.
v. - Zoology to build or have a nest:[no object]Many birds nest in trees.
- to fit together or one within another: [no object]The plastic bowls nest for storage.[~ + object]You can nest one bowl within another.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024nest (nest),USA pronunciation n. - Birdsa 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. - Zoology, Animal Behaviora place used by insects, fishes, turtles, rabbits, etc., for depositing their eggs or young.
- Zoologya number of birds, insects, animals, etc., inhabiting one such place.
- a snug retreat or refuge;
resting place;
home. - 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.
- a place where something bad is fostered or flourishes:a nest of vice; a robber's nest.
- the occupants or frequenters of such a place.
v.t. - to settle or place (something) in or as if in a nest:to nest dishes in straw.
- to fit or place one within another:to nest boxes for more compact storage.
v.i. - Zoologyto build or have a nest:The swallows nested under the eaves.
- to settle in or as if in a nest.
- to fit together or within another or one another:bowls that nest easily for storage.
- to search for or collect nests:to go nesting.
- Computingto place a routine inside another routine that is at a higher hierarchical level.
- bef. 900; Middle English, Old English (cognate with Dutch, German nest; akin to Latin nīdus nest, Old Irish net, Welsh nyth, Sanskrit nīḍa lair) Indo-European *nizdo- bird's nest, equivalent. to *ni down (see nether) + *zd-, variant of *sd-, ablaut variant of *sed-, verb, verbal base meaning "sit'' (see sit) + *-o- theme vowel
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: nest /nɛst/ n - a place or structure in which birds, fishes, insects, reptiles, mice, etc, lay eggs or give birth to young
- a number of animals of the same species and their young occupying a common habitat: an ants' nest
- a place fostering something undesirable: a nest of thievery
- a cosy or secluded place
- a set of things, usually of graduated sizes, designed to fit together: a nest of tables
vb - (intransitive) to make or inhabit a nest
- (intransitive) to hunt for birds' nests
- (transitive) to place in a nest
Etymology: Old English; related to Latin nīdus (nest) and to beneath, sit |