■ noun
1》 a structure or place made or chosen by a bird for laying eggs and sheltering its young.
↘a place where an animal or insect breeds or shelters.
↘a snug or secluded retreat.
↘a bowl-shaped object.
2》 a place filled with undesirable people or things: a ~ of spies.
3》 a set of similar objects of graduated sizes, fitting together for storage.
■ verb
1》 use or build a ~.
2》 fit (an object or objects) inside a larger one.
3》 (especially in computing and linguistics) place in a lower position in a hierarchy.
Derivatives
~er noun
~ful noun ( plural ~fuls ).
Origin
OE ~ , of Gmc origin.