nesting

Preparing a birthplace

Nesting describes the act of building or occupying a nest, as birds do.

By extension, it's the instinct to prepare a home—especially the urge pregnant women feel to organize and ready their space before birth: She spent the weekend nesting, washing baby clothes and arranging the nursery.

In computing and linguistics, nesting refers to placing one structure inside another of the same type: nested loops, nested parentheses, nested folders.

refuge

sanctuary

Protected sacred space

shelterProtected place or structure
denPrivate room or lair
burrowAnimal's dug dwelling

hideaway · retreat · haven · roost · lair · warren · cavity · hollow · protection · security

breeding

eggs

Reproductive cells in shells

incubationDevelopment before emergence
chicksNewly hatched birds
broodHatchlings as a group

clutch · fledglings · hatchlings · laying · courtship · mate · pairing · offspring · territory · reproduction

construction

twigs

Thin woody shoots

weavingInterlacing strands into fabric
buildingEnclosed roofed structure
materialsRaw stuff for creation

craftsmanship · structure · assembly · lining · feathers · mud · sticks · grass · moss · leaves

hierarchy

embedding

Placing within surrounding mass

layersStacked levels or coatings
levelsHeights or ranked stages
containersObjects for holding things

folders · hierarchy · recursion · structure · subroutines · brackets · indentation · enclosure · matryoshka · stacking

coziness

snug

Comfortably close-fitting

warmthHeat you feel
comfortablePhysically at ease
homeyPleasantly informal and warm

soft · cushioned · plush · intimate · blankets · pillows · cocooning · curling · burrowing · settling

instinct

preparation

Arranging things in advance

anticipationState of awaiting something
homemakingManaging domestic life
organizingSystematically putting in order

decluttering · readying · nursery · arranging · cleaning · decorating · stockpiling · preparing · expectant · maternal

Categories

animal behaviorsswimming, running, walking, jumping, flying
backyard birdingbird feeder, birdbath, birdhouse, robin, cardinal
bird behaviorsflying, soaring, perching, migrating, preening
bird traitsfeathered, plumed, plumage, plumaged, beaky
Seasonal Changesbloom, thaw, freeze, leafing, budding
spring signsrain, thaw, melting, bloom, budding

Opposites

animal behavior/migration

nestingmigrating

Moving between regions seasonally

migration · dispersing · fledging · roaming · wandering

settlement vs. movement

nestingwandering

Traveling with no fixed course

roaming · nomadic · itinerant · rootless · unsettled

organizational structure

nestingflattening

Reducing to evenness

flat · linear · sequential · parallel · non-hierarchical

Phrases

nesting dollsHollow figurines containing smaller copies
nesting sitePlace for laying eggs
nesting instinctDrive to prepare home
nesting groundsWhere animals reproduce
nesting habitsSpecies' shelter-building patterns
nesting boxesEnclosures for laying eggs

Family

nesting box, nesting boxes

Familiarity: Top 50,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G