nestling
part of speech
noun (a nestling, nestlings); verb form (present participle of nestle: nestle, nestles, nestled, nestling)
meaning for a pupil
1) (noun) A baby bird too young to leave the nest. tree →
2) (verb) Settling snugly and comfortably, as in "nestling under a blanket". tree →
3) (verb) Lying in a sheltered place, as in "a village nestling in the valley". tree →
sense in the lessons
In science about birds: hatchling → nestling → fledgling, as the chick grows and learns to fly. In stories and descriptions, "nestling" paints a cosy or sheltered picture: a cottage nestling among the hills.
examples
- The nestlings opened their beaks wide for food. tree →
- A nestling has few feathers and cannot fly. tree →
- The village lay nestling in the green valley. tree →
- The puppy was nestling against its mother. tree →
- We watched the robin feed its nestlings. tree →
- The cottage stood nestling under tall trees. tree →
- If you find a nestling on the ground, ask an adult or a wildlife centre for help. tree →
- When the man awoke in the morning he was much surprised to find the boy nestling up close to him. tree →
note
Two words with the same spelling: the noun (baby bird) and the -ing form of "nestle" (silent t: "NES-ling"). Bird stages: egg, hatchling, nestling, fledgling. Safety: do not pick up wild baby birds without advice.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «nestling» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.