drey
part of speech
noun (a drey, dreys)
meaning for a pupil
1) A drey is the nest of a squirrel, built high in a tree from twigs, leaves and moss. tree →
2) It is round like a ball, with a soft lining inside where the squirrel sleeps and keeps its babies warm. tree →
sense in the lessons
A nature word used in science lessons about animal homes and in stories set in woods and parks, especially in the UK. It tells the reader that a squirrel lives nearby. Phrases: «a squirrel's drey», «build a drey», «a drey in the oak».
examples
- We spotted a drey high up in the oak tree. tree →
- Grey squirrels build their dreys from twigs and leaves. tree →
- In winter the drey is easy to see because the branches are bare. tree →
- Baby squirrels are born in the drey. tree →
- A drey looks like a messy ball of sticks. tree →
- The squirrel ran up the trunk and disappeared into its drey. tree →
- Our class drew a map of all the dreys in the park. tree →
- A bird's nest is open on top, but a drey usually has a roof. tree →
note
Countable noun: one drey, two dreys. Rhymes with «day». Not the same as a bird's nest; a rabbit has a burrow, a fox has a den, a squirrel has a drey. Rare word that many adults do not know.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «drey» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.