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35,981 English word records · 45,491 etymology sections in this online subset
PARTIAL ENGLISH COVERAGE · FULL CORPUS REMAINS LOCAL3 source sections across 2 headwords matching “Nest”. These are separate from the reviewed results below.
NestEnglish (en) · Unnumbered etymologySource text
Two possible origins: * Welsh metronymic surname, from a diminutive of the personal name Agnes. * Borrowed from German Nest (“nest”), probably a topographic surname.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗nestEnglish (en) · Etymology 1Source text
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁en-? Proto-Indo-European *ní Proto-Indo-European *sed- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *nisdós Proto-Germanic *nestą Proto-West Germanic *nest Old English nest Middle English nest English nest 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).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗nestEnglish (en) · Etymology 2Source text
From Middle English nesten, nisten, from Old English nistan, nistian, from Proto-West Germanic *nistijan (“to nest, build a nest”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian näästje (“to nest”), Dutch nesten (“to nest”), German Low German nüsten (“to nest”), German nisten (“to nest”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗INDEPENDENT SOURCE LIBRARY
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Mayhew–Skeat (1888)
1888; pinned HTML transcription updated October 28, 2024- NestMiddle English · word_nest_adj
Nest, adj. and adv. superl. next, nearest, PP, S, S2; neist, S2; nixte, S; nexte, C, PP; nexst, S, S2. Comb.: nestfald, nearest, S.—AS. níehsta, adj.; néhst adv.
Read the full source record → - NestMiddle English · word_nest_sb
Nest, sb. nest, PP; nestes, pl., PP. Der.: nestlingis, nestlings, PP.—AS. nest; cp. Lat. nīdus (for nisdus), OIr. net; see Brugmann, § 590.
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