nidus

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁en-?

Proto-Indo-European *ní

Proto-Indo-European *sed-

Proto-Indo-European *-ós

Proto-Indo-European *nisdós

Proto-Italic *nizdos

Latin nīdusbor.

English nidus

Borrowed from Latin nīdus (“nest”). Doublet of nye and nest.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aɪdəs

Noun

nidus (plural nidi or niduses)

1. An aggregate of neurons.
2. A nest for insects or small animals.
3. A place of infection in an organism.
4. An origin (originating point) for a phenomenon.

Related terms

Related terms

• nido-
• nidal, pilonidal
• nidation, annidation
• nidificate, nidify, nidulate

and see: nidifugous

Anagrams

• Dinus, Indus, Indus., indus.

Latin

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Italic *nizdos, from Proto-Indo-European *nisdós (“nest”).

Cognate with Sanskrit नीड (nīḍá), Old Armenian նիստ (nist), Old Church Slavonic гнѣздо (gnězdo), and Old English nest (whence English nest).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈniː.dʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈniː.dus]

Noun

nīdus m (genitive nīdī); second declension

1. nest
2. dwelling for animals

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	nīdus	nīdī
genitive	nīdī	nīdōrum
dative	nīdō	nīdīs
accusative	nīdum	nīdōs
ablative	nīdō	nīdīs
vocative	nīde	nīdī

Derived terms

• nīdificō
• nīdifōrmis (New Latin, specific epithet)

Descendants

• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: nidu, niu
    • Campidanese: niu
• Italo-Dalmatian:
  • Corsican: nidu
  • Dalmatian: naid
  • Italian: nido, nidio
  • Neapolitan: nìdo, nìvo
  • Sicilian: nidu
  • Venetan: nit, nìo
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: nît, nîd
  • Romansh: gnieu, ⇒ igniv
• Gallo-Italic:
  • Emilian: nîd
  • Ligurian: nïo
  • Lombard: nid, nin
  • Piedmontese: ni
  • Romagnol: nid
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: niu
  • Old French: nid
    • French: nid
    • Norman: nid (Guernsey)
    • → English: nide
  • Occitan: nis
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: niedo
  • Asturian: ñeru, nieru, níu, ñíu
  • Extremaduran: ñíu
  • Mirandese: niu
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: *nio
    • Fala: níu
    • Galician: niño
    • Portuguese: ninho (see there for further descendants)
  • Spanish: nido
• Borrowings:
  • → English: nidus
  • → Interlingua: nido

References

• “nidus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “nidus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “nidus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.