Dictionary.com
definitions

cherish

[cher-ish]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cherish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to hold or treat as dear; feel love for: to cherish one's native land.
to care for tenderly; nurture: to cherish a child.
to cling fondly or inveterately to: to cherish a memory.

RELATED CONTENT

🎁 - Wrapped Present Emoji - Emoji by Dictionary.comRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
Words And Phrases Your Parents Used That You Can’t Use NowRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

preserve, love, defend, harbor, treasure, appreciate, honor, admire, encourage, entertain, embrace, adore, cultivate, safeguard, worship, revere, enshrine, shield, fancy, guard

Nearby words

  1. cherenkov radiation,
  2. cherepovets,
  3. cheribon,
  4. cherie,
  5. cherimoya,
  6. cherkassy,
  7. cherkess autonomous region,
  8. cherkessk,
  9. chernenko,
  10. chernigov

Origin of cherish

1275–1325; Middle English cherisshen < Middle French cheriss- (long stem of cherir), equivalent to cher dear (< Latin cārus) + -iss -ish2; akin to charity
ANTONYMS FOR cherish
2. neglect. 3. relinquish.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR cherish ON THESAURUS.COM
Related forms

Synonym study

1, 2. Cherish, foster, harbor imply giving affection, care, or shelter to something. Cherish suggests regarding or treating something as an object of affection or as valuable: to cherish a friendship. Foster implies sustaining and nourishing something with care, especially in order to promote, increase, or strengthen it: to foster a hope; to foster enmity. Harbor suggests giving shelter to or entertaining something undesirable, especially evil thoughts or intentions: to harbor malice or a grudge.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cherishing

British Dictionary definitions for cherishing

cherish

verb (tr)

to show great tenderness for; treasure
to cling fondly to (a hope, idea, etc); nurseto cherish ambitions
Derived Formscherishable, adjectivecherisher, nouncherishingly, adverb

Word Origin for cherish

C14: from Old French cherir, from cher dear, from Latin cārus
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
Word Origin and History for cherishing

cherish

v.

early 14c., cherischen, from Old French cheriss-, present participle stem of chierir "to hold dear" (12c., Modern French chérir), from chier "dear," from Latin carus "dear, costly, beloved" (see whore). The Latin word also is the source of Italian, Spanish, Portuguese caro; Old Provençal, Catalan car. Related: Cherished; cherishing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper