crow's nest en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈkɹəʊz.nɛst/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From the habit of crows building nests high up in trees.
Meanings
-
A small open-top shelter, originally a cask, on the top of the foremast, large enough to accommodate a lookout. It was used by whalers to watch for a blow (spout), or in icebound waters to seek a channel.
When Captain Sleet in person stood his mast-head in this crow’s-nest of his, he tells us that he always had a rifle with him (also fixed in the rack), together with a powder flask and shot, for the purpose of popping off the stray narwhales, or vagrant sea unicorns infesting those waters; […].
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 35, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| crow's nests | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| crowsnest | alternative | lexicographic | |
| crow's-nest | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Translations (37)
es carajo (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · fr gabie (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · nl kraaiennest (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · el παρατηρητήριο (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · sl jamborni koš (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · sv mastkorg (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · ru марс (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · fr nid-de-pie (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · sv utkikstunna (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · fi märssykori (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · ga crannóg (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · de Krähennest (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · uk ґав'яче гніздо (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · grc καρχήσιον (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · cy nyth y frân (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · eo gvatnesto (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · pt cesto da gávea (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · nn utkikstønne (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · vo maatabäset (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · nrf heune (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · fr vigie (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · hu árbóckosár (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · cs vraní hnízdo (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · he קַן הַעוֹרֵב (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · cy nythod y frân (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · cmn 桅頂瞭望臺 /桅顶了望台 (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · is varðtunna (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · de Mastkorb (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · da udkigstønde (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · pl bocianie gniazdo (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · la carchesium (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · uk вороняче гніздо (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · uga 𐎎𐎕𐎔𐎚 (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · scn coffa (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · fo kagtunna (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · de Ausguck (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout) · pl bocianiec (open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout)