nurture

[ nur-cher ]

/ ˈnɜr tʃər /

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See synonyms for: nurture / nurtured / nurturing 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.

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Origin of nurture

First recorded in1300–50; (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, adjectivenur·ture·less, adjectivenur·tur·er, nounun·nur·tured, adjective

well-nur·tured, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use nurture in a sentence

“The golden age of Parisian smiles nurtured, and was nurtured by, the rise of dentistry as a vocation,” writes Jones.
The French Court’s Royal Ban on Smiles|William O’Connor|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its reporting and commentary on politics, society, and arts and letters have nurtured a broad liberal spirit in our national life.
Facebook Prince Purges The New Republic: Inside the Destruction of a 100-Year-Old Magazine|Lloyd Grove|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A precocious talent, he was nurtured by enlightened teachers in London and then discovered California.
A British Start to the Tour de France Forces the English to Wonder: What Does Being English Mean Anymore?|Clive Irving|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mina's pupils are cherished, respected and nurtured, as anyone can see.
Challenging Religious Tradition for the Love of God — and the Love of Dance|Moral Courage|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

One hopes they will be nurtured and continue to grow, whichever candidate emerges victorious next Tuesday.
The Leak of a Mysterious Video Could Change the Outcome of Newark’s Mayor’s Race|Charles Upton Sahm|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She soon gave birth to a daughter, her only child, whom she nurtured with the most assiduous care.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
Now here is a lady, well educated and delicately nurtured, who is destitute of the common necessaries of life.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
This is true, I fear, to a certain extent, of those who have been nurtured in the new traditions.
Third class in Indian railways|Mahatma Gandhi
Such men could not fail to adorn the faith they professed, and do honour to the Church in which they had been nurtured.
The English Church in the Eighteenth Century|Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton
Surely she could never again thwart their plans of evil, hatched and nurtured in the foul darkness of the quags.
Edmund Dulacs Fairy-Book|Edmund Dulac

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 forms of nurture

nurturable, 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

nurture

Origin of nurture

synonym study for nurture

OTHER WORDS FROM nurture

Words related to nurture

How to use nurture in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nurture

Derived forms of nurture

Word Origin for nurture