nurture

[ nur-cher ]

See synonyms for nurture on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),nur·tured, nur·tur·ing.

to feed and protect: to nurture one's offspring.
to support and encourage, as during the period of training or development; foster: to nurture promising musicians.

to bring up; train; educate.

noun

rearing, upbringing, training, education, or the like.
development: the nurture of young artists.

something that nourishes; nourishment; food.

Origin of nurture

First recorded in 1300–50; (noun) Middle English norture, from Middle French, variant of nourriture, from Late Latin nūtrītūra “a nourishing,” equivalent to Latin nūtrīt(us) (past participle of nūtrīre “to feed”) + -ūra noun suffix; see nourish, -ure; (verb) derivative of the noun

synonym study For nurture

1, 3. See nurse.

Other words from nurture

nur·tur·a·ble, adjective
nur·ture·less, adjective
nur·tur·er, noun
un·nur·tured, adjective
well-nur·tured, adjective

Words Nearby nurture

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nurture in a sentence

Oddly you nurture it, it is part of you, and inescapably part of your past, present, and future.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook | Tim Teeman | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Will asking for a barrel-aged Negroni help to nurture some European class?
Nationalism on Four Wheels | Clive Irving | October 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Nature and nurture, genetics and family background all come into play.
Inside the Mind of an ISIS Jihadi | Jamie Dettmer | September 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
For me, it bred the question of what nature and nurture can really do to someone.
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Star Uzo Aduba on Her Journey From Track Phenom to Crazy Eyes | Marlow Stern | June 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The two sides are not likely to reach agreement on this nature/nurture debate anytime soon.
Can the Gender Gap Be Solved? | Kay Hymowitz | April 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

They troubled themselves with no theories of education, but mingled gentle nurture with “wholesome neglect.”
Eric, or Little by Little | Frederic W. Farrar
Anxious, to excess, to bring them up in orthodox nurture and admonition: and this is how they reward me, Herr Feldzeugmeister!
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. VII. (of XXI.) | Thomas Carlyle
In making such a sacrifice they are but repaying the debt of nurture.
American Sketches | Charles Whibley
Sane, honorable evangelism never excludes Christian nurture any more than the sunlight obviates the necessity of soil cultivation.
The United Seas | Robert W. Rogers
If he does break silence it will probably be in terms of the religious cult that has given him nurture.
The Minister and the Boy | Allan Hoben

British Dictionary definitions for nurture

nurture

/ (ˈnɜːtʃə) /

noun

the act or process of promoting the development, etc, of a child
something that nourishes

biology the environmental factors that partly determine the structure of an organism: See also nature (def. 12)

verb(tr)

to feed or support
to educate or train

Origin of nurture

C14: from Old French norriture, from Latin nutrīre to nourish

Derived forms of nurture

nurturable, adjective
nurturer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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