bird's nest

1 of 2

noun

1

: the nest in which a bird lays eggs and hatches young

2

a

: edible bird's nest

also : a substitute used in the preparation of soup

b

: any of several dishes commonly containing nuts or fruit (such as an apple dumpling or a cobbler)

3

: any of several plants having a real or fancied resemblance to a bird's nest

especially : wild carrot

4

: crow's nest sense 1a

5

a

: a snarl of fishing line at the reel : backlash

b

: a mass of tangled hair

If the younger girl's hair was a bird's nest of tangles, her choice of clothing torn blue jeans and an oversized sweater spotted with burrs and prickly seeds, it was simply because she was endlessly active.

—Charles de Lint, Memory and Dream, 1994

Irie … turned up for her appointment three-thirty on the dot, … a headscarf disguising the bird's nest of her hair, her right hand carefully placed upon her stomach.

—Zadie Smith, White Teeth, 2000

bird's-nest

2 of 2

intransitive verb

ˈbərdz-ˌnest

: to hunt for or take birds' nests or their contents

bird's-nester noun

Word History

Etymology

Intransitive verb

bird's nest

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