nursery

American  

[nur-suh-ree] / ˈnɜr sə ri /

noun

• nurseries
  plural

1. a room or place set apart for young children.

2. a nursery school or day nursery.

3. a place where young trees or other plants are raised for transplanting, for sale, or for experimental study.

4. any place in which something is bred, nourished, or fostered.

   The art institute has been the nursery of much great painting.

5. any situation, condition, circumstance, practice, etc., serving to breed or foster something.

   Slums are nurseries for young criminals.

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nursery British  

/ ˈnɜːsrɪ /

noun

1. 1. a room in a house set apart for use by children

   2. ( as modifier )

      nursery wallpaper

2. a place where plants, young trees, etc, are grown commercially

3. an establishment providing residential or day care for babies and very young children; crèche

4. short for nursery school

5. anywhere serving to foster or nourish new ideas, etc

6. Also called: nursery cannon. billiards

   1. a series of cannons with the three balls adjacent to a cushion, esp near a corner pocket

   2. a cannon in such a series

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prenursery
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nurseries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of nursery

First recorded in 1350–1400, nursery is from the Middle English word norcery. See nurse, -ery

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Explanation

In a nursery, you're going to find a lot of growth — and either babies or plants. The word nurse is a clue to the meaning of nursery: nurses take care of people, and a nursery is a place of caretaking. One kind of nursery is for babies: it's a child's room with a crib and lots of baby toys. The other kind of nursery is for plants: this type of nursery usually has glass walls and a roof, plus everything plants need to be healthy. Nurseries keep plants or babies safe so they can grow.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nursery nurseries

“Edinburgh was uniquely configured to operate as a nursery for the nascent discipline,” Ms. Fitzharris explains, partly because of the number of serious crimes tried in the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

"Many children have lost both their father and mother because of Ebola," Marie Bakikula, a caregiver at a UNICEF-supported nursery in Mongbwalu, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

It contains the largest nursery for white sharks in the state and possibly the world, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

In July 2025, 247 pupils and staff at the nursery were found to have abnormally high blood lead levels after children began falling ill.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

She was able to get the day off from the plant nursery for this.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

All schools and nurseries in the Western Isles will be shut until Wednesday at the earliest.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

Some longtime citrus growers and nurseries have set up plots of land where researchers can experiment on real trees, and gather data to help fight the disease.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

The Los Angeles County Fire Department Forestry Division also has been offering free oaks, in addition to other native plants, at its two nurseries in San Dimas and Malibu for years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

A spectacular new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope offers a front row view of one of the universe's busiest stellar nurseries.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026

I listen to her ideas about nurseries and what she'll do in lieu of a baby shower since she won't be able to travel that far during the spring semester.

From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour

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Related Words

• playroom
• preschool

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