bird nest
1
1.0
- noun
- /bɜrd nɛst/
:
nido de ave
- It looks cute so we found some shade underneath the freeway and there's a bunch of birds nests under there.
Examples
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As the mother bird flew away, we could see her bird nest comfortably hidden among the branches.
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As he set about filling in some of the gaps, he discovered that the richest collections of bird nests are to be found in the basements of natural history museums.
Academic text (1994) -
As you take an interest in birds, you will develop an eye for finding bird nests.
Academic text (2006) -
How big's the the bird nest compared to the egg?
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One large male took up residence in an abandoned sociable weaver-bird nest that was also home to a pair of barn owls.
Academic text (1995) -
Cameras were placed on randomly selected obligate grassland bird nests and were evenly distributed among sites.
Academic text (2017) -
At the moment, we are still speculating, but I look forward to uncovering the explanation for these and other intriguing aspects of silk use on bird nests.
Academic text (1994) -
In Clare's poetry, evidence of the silent work of non-human life—bird nests, rabbit tracks, and molehills—mark the improved landscape.
Academic text (2017) -
In the spring, we spotted a new bird nest near the old oak tree, where several colorful eggs were resting.
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The bird nest was made of twigs and leaves, providing a cozy home for the mother bird and her chicks.
Synonyms
219
1.0
A place birds or animals make to lay eggs and raise their young
3
1.0
A small home a bird builds to lay eggs and raise its young
1
9.9
A large nest built high by birds that hunt, like eagles
A nest that birds build to hold eggs and raise their young
A high nest where birds of prey raise their young
A high nest on a cliff used by eagles or hawks
A nest high above the ground where a large hunting bird lives
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a nest built by a bird' is directly compositional from 'bird' (a feathered animal) + 'nest' (a structure for eggs/young); a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer this referent. This kind of noun–noun compound is cross-linguistically common and follows regular English compounding patterns, so it is clearly transparent.
Etymology
The phrase bird nest comes from the simple picture of a bird building a nest of twigs and soft material to keep its eggs safe. So, bird nest means the 'home' a bird makes 'to lay eggs' and raise its young.