aerie

noun

ae·​rie ˈer-ē  ˈir-ē  ˈā-(ə-)rē 

variants or less commonly aery

1

: the nest of a bird on a cliff or a mountaintop

2

obsolete : a brood of birds of prey

3

: an elevated often secluded dwelling, structure, or position

Did you know?

English poet John Milton put a variant of aerie to good use in Paradise Lost (1667), writing, "… there the eagle and the stork / On cliffs and cedar tops their eyries build." But Milton wasn't the first to use the term, which comes to us via Medieval Latin and Old French and probably traces to an earlier Latin word, ager, meaning "field." English speakers had been employing aerie as a word for a bird's nest for more than a century when he penned those words. Eventually, aerie was applied to human dwellings as well as birds' nests. At first, this sense referred to dwellings nestled high up in mountains or hills. These days, you're also likely to hear high-rise city apartments or offices referred to as "aeries."

Examples of aerie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Measuring 4,300 square feet, the lavish four-bedroom, six-bath aerie is the largest apartment in the historic development and used to belong to a local shipping magnate. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2024

And because of its location and features, the aerie is most likely in a walk-up building (one without an elevator, typically between two and six stories). —Michelle Duncan, Architectural Digest, 20 Sep. 2024

While its name suggests a lofty aerie, it’s located in the dry, windy foothills of southwestern San Joaquin County off Interstate 580. —Ray Chavez, The Mercury News, 4 July 2024

Last week, the combination penthouse aerie sitting atop the new 48-story, 420-unit tower at 77 Hudson St. in Jersey City hit the market asking $6.9 million. —Chris Cameron, Robb Report, 20 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin airea, aira, eria, Latinization of Old French aire, ere "bird's nest on a rock, family, stock, sort, kind," probably going back to Vulgar Latin *agrum, re-formation of Latin ager "field" — more at acre

First Known Use

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

aerie

noun

aer·​ie

ˈa(ə)r-ē,

ˈe(ə)r-,

ˈi(ə)r-

1

: the nest of a bird on a cliff or a mountaintop

2

: a dwelling placed high up