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definitions

nurture

[ nur-cher ]
/ ˈnɜr tʃər /
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

feed, discipline, training, nutriment, provisions, victuals, food, subsistence, provender, instruction, upbringing, diet, sustenance, viands, breeding, education, care, rearing, edibles, bolster

Nearby words

nursing home, nursing mother, nursing officer, nursling, nurturance, nurture, nus, nusa tenggara, nusku, nut, nut case

Origin of nurture

1300–50; (noun) Middle English norture < Middle French, variant of nourriture < Late Latin nūtrītūra a nourishing, equivalent to Latin nūtrīt(us) (past participle of nūtrīre to feed, nourish) + -ūra -ure; (v.) derivative of the noun
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nurture

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 organismSee also nature (def. 12)

verb (tr)

to feed or support
to educate or train
Derived Formsnurturable, adjectivenurturer, noun

Word Origin for nurture

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