DictionaryAI

nestle

verb
NES-uhl/ˈnɛsəl/

Formsnestles, nestling, nestled

5 meanings of nestle

Practice

  1. 1
    lie shelteredverbintransitive
    To lie half-hidden, or in a sheltered spot.

    The village nestles in a narrow valley between two mountains.

    Small farms nestle among the rolling hills north of town.

    UsageUsually with a place: nestles in a valley, among the hills. Nestled often works like an adjective: a village nestled in the hills.

    Similarlie, sit

    Note

    People can nestle this way too; Francis Bacon pictures soldiers fortifying a strong place in wild country and lying low there until help arrives.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • Francis Bacon describes soldiers intending to fortify a strong place in wild country and shelter there until reinforcements arrive. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 2
    get cozyverbintransitive
    To settle into a snug, comfortable position, often pressing close against someone or something.

    The children nestle under thick blankets on the porch to watch the stars.

    She nestled deep into the armchair with a mug of cocoa.

    UsageUsually followed by where: nestle into an armchair, nestle under the blankets, nestle down for the night.

    Similarsnuggle, cuddle, curl, huddle, settle

    Note

    The verb is nest with the ending -le, and its Old English ancestor nistlan meant "to make or build a nest": settling in snugly is a bird's work carried over to people.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Nestle is etymologically equivalent to nest plus the suffix -le. en.wiktionary.org
    • Nestle descends from Old English nistlan, meaning to make or build a nest. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 3
    snuggle (something)verbtransitive
    To move or place something into a comfortable position.

    She nestled her head against his shoulder as the train pulled away.

    Nestle the eggs in a bed of straw so they won't crack on the way home.

    UsageUsually with where it goes: nestle a baby in your arms, nestle your head against a shoulder.

    Similarrest, tuck, settle

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    verbarchaicintransitive
    To build a nest or sit upon one.
    Note

    Here the verb keeps the bird's own meaning, the one its form spells out, and the one settling in snugly grew from. It is archaic now: Roger L'Estrange could write in 1692 that the kingfisher "nestles in hollow banks", but modern writing about birds simply says a bird nests.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • The verb derives from a literal nesting meaning, underlying the figurative sense of settling snugly. en.wiktionary.org
    • Roger L'Estrange's collection containing the quotation was first published in 1692. en.wikisource.org
    • L'Estrange uses the quoted wording in the narrator's description in fable CLXVII, A Kingsfisher. davidmhart.com
  2. 5
    verbarchaictransitive
    Of a bird, to rear and tend its own chicks.
    This assimilates them more nearly to the natural conditions when the hen nestles her chicks on the earth, whilst the warmth is given chiefly over their backs.
    1871, Gardeners Chronicle & New Horticulturist
    Note

    The care meant is warmth and shelter: a hen nestles her chicks by gathering them on the ground beneath her, so that her warmth falls mostly on their backs, as the Gardeners' Chronicle of 1871 describes. The verb takes the young as its object here, unlike the nesting sense.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • The cited passage describes a hen sheltering chicks on the ground, warming chiefly their backs, and uses chicks as the verb's direct object. en.wiktionary.org
    • The passage is attributed to the Gardeners' Chronicle of 1871, volume 31, page 123. en.wiktionary.org
    • The chick-tending sense is transitive, whereas the nesting sense is intransitive. en.wiktionary.org

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of nestle apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Old English nistlan or nestlian ("to make or build a nest") goes back to Proto-West Germanic *nistilōn and became Middle English nestelen. In form it is nest plus -le. Dutch nestelen ("to nest, nestle") is comparable.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

  • The Old English forms were nistlan and nestlian, meaning “to make or build a nest”. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Old English verb derives from reconstructed Proto-West Germanic *nistilōn. en.wiktionary.org
  • The verb developed into Middle English nestelen. en.wiktionary.org
  • The word is formally equivalent to nest plus -le. en.wiktionary.org
  • Dutch nestelen means “to nest, nestle” and is a comparable formation. en.wiktionary.org