nestling

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈnɛstlɪŋ/ UK /ˈnɛstlɪŋ/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a young bird too young to leave the nest

The nestlings opened their beaks wide as the parent returned.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a young bird too young to... chick fledgling hatchlingfryer

Word family

Forms nestlings

Related forms nest nestle fledgling

Etymology

From Middle English nestling, from nest + the diminutive suffix -ling, the noun from Old English nest ('bird's nest').

nest Old English -ling Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# nestling

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈnɛstlɪŋ
**IPA (UK):** ˈnɛstlɪŋ

## Meanings
1. a young bird too young to leave the nest

## Examples
- The nestlings opened their beaks wide as the parent returned.

## Synonyms
- chick
- fledgling
- hatchling
- fryer

## Related Forms
- nest
- nestle
- fledgling

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: nest
- Root: -ling

## Etymology
From Middle English nestling, from nest + the diminutive suffix -ling, the noun from Old English nest ('bird's nest').

## AI Etymology
Nestling comes from Middle English nestling, from nest + the diminutive suffix -ling, the noun from Old English nest ('bird's nest'). The etymological trail includes Old English nest and Old English -ling. As a noun, nestling means a young bird too young to leave the nest. The same family is visible in related forms such as nest, nestle, and fledgling. Morphologically, the word is built from the elements named in its history, so the modern form preserves a visible compound, prefix, or suffix structure.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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nestling

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