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English poet John Milton put a variant of aerie to good use in Paradise Lost (1667), writing, "… there the eagle and the stork / On cliffs and cedar tops their eyries build." 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 aerie as a word for a bird's nest for more than a century when he penned those words. Eventually, aerie 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 city apartments or offices referred to as "aeries."
Examples of aerie in a Sentence
Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2024
And because of its location and features, the aerie is most likely in a walk-up building (one without an elevator, typically between two and six stories).
—Michelle Duncan, Architectural Digest, 20 Sep. 2024
While its name suggests a lofty aerie, it’s located in the dry, windy foothills of southwestern San Joaquin County off Interstate 580.
—Ray Chavez, The Mercury News, 4 July 2024
Last week, the combination penthouse aerie sitting atop the new 48-story, 420-unit tower at 77 Hudson St. in Jersey City hit the market asking $6.9 million.
—Chris Cameron, Robb Report, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for aerie 
Dictionary Entries Near aerie
Cite this Entry
“Aerie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aerie. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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