noun
1. : a natural or artificial egg left in the nest of a domestic fowl to induce her to continue to lay there
2. archaic : something used as an inducement, lure, or decoy
3.
a. : a fund of money accumulated as a reserve or as a basis for further acquisition
a retirement-fund nest egg, built up over a 15-year period — E.R.Leibert
b. : a nucleus or accumulation intended to promote further growth or development
will have a nest egg of 128 — only five less than half the 266 needed to win — H.H.Martin