Dictionary
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. Computers.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.
