Nidificate
/ˈnɪd.ɪ.fɪ.keɪt/noun
To build or occupy a nest.
Did you know?Nidificate comes from Latin nidificare, a learned formation from nidus (“nest”), and its deeper Indo-European root also lies behind words like nest and nestling.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ni-
“a root meaning “to nest” or “to make a nest,” reconstructed from later daughter forms”
Latin
Latin
nidus
“nest”
Late Latin
Latin
nidificare
“to make a nest; to build a nest”
15th–16th Century
English
nidificate
“to build or occupy a nest, especially in learned or scientific writing”
Modern English
English
nidificate
“to build or occupy a nest”