nest

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a kind of gun emplacement

   a machine-gun nest

2. 2
   noun

   a gang of people (criminals or spies or terrorists) assembled in one locality

   a nest of thieves

3. 3
   verb

   fit together or fit inside

   nested bowls

4. 4
   verb

   inhabit a nest, usually after building

   birds are nesting outside my window every Spring

5. 5
   noun

   A hideout for bad people to frequent or haunt; a den.

   a nest of thieves

6. 6
   noun

   A home that a child or young adult shares with a parent or guardian.

   I am aspiring to leave the nest.

7. 7
   noun

   A fixed number of cards in some bidding games awarded to the highest bidder allowing him to exchange any or all with cards in his hand.

   I was forced to change trumps when I found the ace, jack, and nine of diamonds in the nest.

8. 8
   noun

   A fortified position for a weapon.

   a machine gun nest

Etymology

From Middle English nest, nist, nyst, from Old English nest, from Proto-West Germanic *nest, from Proto-Germanic *nestą, from Proto-Indo-European *nisdós (“nest”), literally "where [the bird] sits down", a compound of *ni (“down”) (whence also English nether) + the zero-grade of the root *sed- (“to sit”) (whence also English sit).