NEST

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German ~ ~, Latin nidus Date: before 12th century 1. a bed or receptacle prepared by an animal and especially a bird for its eggs and young, a place or specially modified structure serving as an abode of animals and especially of their immature stages , a receptacle resembling a bird's ~, 2. a place of rest, retreat, or lodging ; home , den , hangout , the occupants or frequenters of a ~, 4. a group of similar things , hotbed 2 , a group of objects made to fit close together or one within another, an emplaced group of weapons, II. verb Date: 13th century intransitive verb to build or occupy a ~ ; settle in or as if in a ~, to fit compactly together or within one another ; embed , transitive verb to form a ~ for, to pack compactly together, to form a hierarchy, series, or sequence of with each member, element, or set contained in or containing the next