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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 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

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

Words related to nurture

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

Example sentences 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 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
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