Where does “nesting” come from?
Nesting comes from Old English nest, from Proto-Indo-European nisdós, meaning a place where a bird sits, ultimately from the root h₁én meaning to sit.
nesting (English): Present participle and gerund of nest; The...
Definitions
- Present participle and gerund of nest; The...
Ancestry of “nesting”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nest | A structure built by a bird as a place to... |
| 2 | Middle English | nest | nest |
| 3 | Old English | nēst | nest |
| 4 | Old English | nīehst | nearest, next |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | **nāhwist(ō) | nearest, closest |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | nēhwist | nearest, closest |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | nēhw | near, close |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | nēhwaz | near, close |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂nḗḱwos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂neḱ- | to reach, to attain |