nidus

English

Etymology

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

From Proto-Italic *nizdos, from Proto-Indo-European *nisdós (“nest”). Cognate with Sanskrit नीड (nīḍá), Old Armenian նիստ (nist), Old Church Slavonic гнѣздо (gnězdo), Old English nest (whence English nest).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈniː.dus/, [ˈniːd̪ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈni.dus/, [ˈniːd̪us]

Noun

nīdus m (genitive nīdī); second declension

1. nest
2. dwelling for animals

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	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

• Aragonese: niedo
• Asturian: ñeru, nieru, níu, ñíu
• Catalan: niu
• Corsican: nidu
• Dalmatian: naid
• Dutch: nis, niche
• English: nidus, nide, niche, nyas
• Extremaduran: ñíu
• French: nid, niche, niais
• Friulian: nît, nîd
• Haitian Creole: nich
• Interlingua: nido
• Italian: nido, nidio
• Lombard: nid, nin
• Neapolitan: nìdo, nìvo
• Occitan: nis
• Papiamentu: neshi, neishi
• Piedmontese: ni
• Old Galician-Portuguese: *nio
  • Galician: niño, nin, nío, ninho (reintegrationist)
  • Portuguese: ninho (see there for further descendants)
• Romansch: gnieu, igniv
• Sardinian: nidu, niu
  • Campidanese: niu
• Sicilian: nidu
• Spanish: nido
• Venetan: nit, nìo

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.