aerie

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day 2 min 1 speaker 5 chapters transcribed 1 month ago
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What is Merriam‑Webster’s Word of the Day and how is it introduced?

Unknown 0:06
It's Merriam Webster's word of the day for july twenty sixth. Today's word is Airy, also pronounced Airy or Ari.
Peter Sokolowski 0:17
Ari is a noun spelled A E R I E.

How is the word “aerie” defined and pronounced?

Peter Sokolowski 0:21
It refers to the nest of a bird such as an eagle or hawk built high up on a cliff or on the top of a mountain. It can also be used for a room or building built high up so that people inside can see things happening below them. Here's the word used in a sentence from seven days of Burlington, Vermont.

What real‑world example illustrates the use of “aerie” in a sentence?

Peter Sokolowski 0:42
Their eaglet is expected to hatch around april twenty first. In the meantime, audience members tuning in will likely see at least one eagle at the nest. To keep up with home improvements, the majestic birds often arrive home bearing sticks and grass to add to their airy. English poet John Milton put a variant of the word airy to good use in Paradise Lost from sixteen sixty seven, writing.

What is the historical origin of “aerie” and how did John Milton use it?

Peter Sokolowski 1:11
There the eagle and the stork on cliffs and cedar tops their Ares build, with Aries spelled E. Y. R. I.

How has the meaning of “aerie” expanded to modern high‑rise buildings?

Peter Sokolowski 1:19
S. But Milton wasn't the first to use the term, which comes to us via medieval Latin and Old French, and probably traces to an earlier Latin word ager, meaning field. English speakers had been employing airy as a word for a bird's nest for more than a century when he penned those words. Eventually Airy was applied to human dwellings as well as birds' nests. At first, this sense referred to dwellings nestled high up in mountains or hills. These days you're also likely to hear high rise apartments or offices referred to as airies. With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.
Unknown 2:04
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