eyrie

English

WOTD – 26 May 2012

Alternative forms

• eyry, aerie, aery, ayrie (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English eire, aire, from Old French aire or Medieval Latin aeria. Old French aire, in the sense of an eagle's nest, may have derived from Latin ager, or may less likely be related to the other senses, ultimately from Latin ārea.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, without the Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɪə.ɹi/, /ˈɛə.ɹi/, /ˈaɪ.ɹi/
• (General American, Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɪ.ɹi/, /ˈɛ.ɹi/, /ˈaɪ.ɹi/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪəɹi

Noun

eyrie (plural eyries)

1. The nest of a bird of prey.
   • 1943, Casey A. Wood, F. Marjorie Fyfe, “How to reach the eyrie”, in The Art of Falconry, volume 2, translation of original by Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, →ISBN, page 129:

     The methods employed to ascend to the nest of a bird of prey depend, in each instance, upon its site. If the nest is in a tree, a man can climb up and, having put the young ones in a basket, carry them home. If, however, the eyrie is built in the fissure of a lofty rock, a man is secured to the end of a rope and descends or is lowered from the rim of the mountain or cliff to the level of the hollow in which the eyrie is built and, entering, lifts the bird from the nest.

2. Any high and remote but commanding place.

Translations

bird of prey's nest

• Armenian: գիշատիչ թռչնի բույն (gišatičʻ tʻṙčʻni buyn), արծվաբույն (hy) (arcvabuyn) (of an eagle)
• Bulgarian: орло́во гнездо́ n (orlóvo gnezdó)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鷹巢／鹰巢 (yīng cháo)

• Czech: orlí hnízdo n, hnízdo dravce
• Danish: rovfuglerede c, ørnerede c (of an eagle)
• Dutch: horst (nl) f, roofvogelnest n
• Finnish: petolinnun pesä, kotkanpesä
• French: nid d’aigle (fr) m, aire (fr) f
• German: Horst (de) m
• Irish: nead iolair f (eagle), soipín iolair m (eagle)
• Macedonian: орловско гнездо n (orlovsko gnezdo)
• Polish: orle gniazdo n
• Russian: орли́ное гнездо́ n (orlínoje gnezdó) (of an eagle), гнездо́ хи́щной пти́цы n (gnezdó xíščnoj ptícy)
• Serbo-Croatian: orlovo gnijezdo n, orlovo gnezdo n
• Swedish: rovfågelsnäste n
• Ukrainian: гніздо хижого птаха n (hnizdo xyžoho ptaxa)

any high and remote but commanding place

• Danish: ørnerede c
• Finnish: kotkanpesä
• German: Adlerhorst (de) m, Adlernest n
• Irish: crannóg f
• Japanese: 高所にある家 (kōsho ni aru ie)
• Swedish: örnnäste n

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Basque: ^{(please verify)} arranotegi, ^{(please verify)} arrano-habia
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} adelaarsnest (nl) n
• French: ^{(please verify)} aire (fr) f
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} sasfészek (hu)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} aguilera
• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} tổ chim đại bàng
• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} nyth eryr m or f