Meanings
plural crow's nests · alternative crow's-nest · alternative crowsnest
- nauticalA 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
Origin
From the habit of crows building nests high up in trees.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek καρχήσιον
- καρχήσιον (karkhḗsion)open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Chinese Mandarin 桅頂瞭望臺 /桅顶了望台
- 桅頂瞭望臺 /桅顶了望台open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Czech vraní hnízdo
- vraní hnízdoopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Danish udkigstønde
- udkigstøndeopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Dutch kraaiennest
- kraaiennestopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Esperanto gvatnesto
- gvatnestoopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Finnish märssykori
- märssykoriopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
French nid-de-pie, vigie
- nid-de-pieopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
- vigieopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
- gabieopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
German Mastkorb, Ausguck
- Mastkorbopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
- Ausguckopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
- Krähennestopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Greek παρατηρητήριο
- παρατηρητήριο (paratiritírio)open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Hebrew קַן הַעוֹרֵב
- קַן הַעוֹרֵב (ken ha'orev)open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Hungarian árbóckosár
- árbóckosáropen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Icelandic varðtunna
- varðtunnaopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Irish crannóg
- crannógopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Latin carchesium
- carchesiumopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Polish bocianie gniazdo, bocianiec
- bocianie gniazdoopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
- bocianiecopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Portuguese cesto da gávea
- cesto da gáveaopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Russian марс
- марс (mars)open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Spanish carajo
- carajoopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Swedish mastkorg, utkikstunna
- mastkorgopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
- utkikstunnaopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Ukrainian ґав'яче гніздо, вороняче гніздо
- ґав'яче гніздо (gavʺjače hnizdo)open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
- вороняче гніздо (voronjače hnizdo)open-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Welsh nyth y frân, nythod y frân
- nyth y frânopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
- nythod y frânopen-top shelter atop the foremast for a lookout
Cite this entry
crow's nest. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crow's%20nest
“crow's nest.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crow's%20nest. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crow's nest,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crow's%20nest.
Source: crow's nest on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.