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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
Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 18 May 2025
The aerie is decked out with soaring 18-foot ceilings, reclaimed heartwood pine floors, and walls of floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the space with natural light.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 16 May 2025
Click here to see all the photos of the Manhattan aerie.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 2 May 2025
The aerie, a favorite hideaway for the wife, is appointed with a custom daybed, bookcase, ceiling light, and rug—all designed by Hoffman—alongside a Seventh House LA armchair, Obsolete coffee table, vintage Willy Guhl lamp, and Roman shades cut from a Rose Uniacke fabric.
—David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 21 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Aerie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aerie. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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