nurture

[nur-cher]

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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.

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 formsnur·tur·a·ble, adjectivenur·ture·less, adjectivenur·tur·er, nounun·nur·tured, adjectivewell-nur·tured, adjective

Synonyms for nurture

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1, 3. See nurse.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for nurtured

discipline, bolster, educate, nourish, develop, raise, uphold, provide, train, support, back, tend, school, foster, sustain, cherish, nurse, instruct, cultivate, rear

Examples from the Web for nurtured

Contemporary Examples of nurtured

“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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of nurtured

Leila, thou hast been nurtured with tenderness, and schooled with care.
Leila, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Gone with the little courts that nurtured them—gone with Esterhazy and Weimar.
Howards End
E. M. Forster
We are nurtured on it; we are schooled in it, we live by it; and we rarely realize it.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini
They had to be nurtured and upheld, no matter how the contacts of life hit his own skin.
The Prisoner
Alice Brown
Nor had the inner man been nurtured any better than the outer.
On the Heels of De Wet
The Intelligence Officer

British Dictionary definitions for nurtured

nurture

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

Word Origin and History for nurtured

nurture

"to feed or nourish," early 15c., from nurture (n.). Related: Nurtured; nurturing.

nurture

c.1300, "breeding, upbringing," from Old French norture, nourreture "food, nourishment; education, training," from Late Latin nutritia (see nursery).