Monday, April 2, 2012

Nest Here!

Today's Word "Nidicolous"

nidicolous \ni-DI-keh-lehs\ (adjective) - Nest-dwelling, nesting, usually referring to birds whose offspring are helpless at birth and must remain in a nest until they mature.

"When he married Mathilda, Frederick converted from the nomadic to the nidicolous life with unexpected aplomb."

Latin nidus "nest" + col(ere) "(to) inhabit" + -ous. The stem nid- originates in a PIE compound form *ni-zd-o- "nest (place of sitting down)" from *ni- "down" + s(e)d- "sit." Old English "nest" comes from the Germanic variation of the same compound, *nistaz, also underlying "niche" and "nick."

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