n. & v.
n. 1 a structure or place where a bird lays eggs and shelters its young. 2 an animal's or insect's breeding-place or lair. 3 a snug or secluded retreat or shelter. 4 (often foll. by of) a place fostering something undesirable (a nest of vice). 5 a brood or swarm. 6 a group or set of similar objects, often of different sizes and fitting together for storage (a nest of tables).
v. 1 intr. use or build a nest. 2 intr. take wild birds' nests or eggs. 3 intr. (of objects) fit together or one inside another. 4 tr. (usu. as nested adj.) establish in or as in a nest. nest egg 1 a sum of money saved for the future. 2 a real or artificial egg left in a nest to induce hens to lay eggs there. nestful n. (pl. -fuls). nesting n. (in sense 2 of v.). nestlike adj.
[ OE nest ]