Eyrie - Encyclopedia

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES

EYRIE, the alternative English form of the words Aerie or Aery, the lofty nest of a bird of prey, especially of an eagle, hence any lofty place of abode; the term is also used of the brood of the bird. The word derives from the Fr. aire, of the same meaning, which comes from the Lat. area, an open space, but was early connected with aerius, high in the air, airy, a confusion that has affected the spelling of the word. The forms "eyrie" or "eyry" date from a 17th century attempt to derive the word from the Teutonic ey, an egg.