wean
[ ween ]
/ win /
verb (used with object)
to accustom (a child or young animal) to food other than its mother's milk; cause to lose the need to suckle or turn to the mother for food.
to withdraw (a person, the affections, one's dependency, etc.) from some object, habit, form of enjoyment, or the like: The need to reduce had weaned us from rich desserts.
Verb Phrases
wean on, to accustom to; to familiarize with from, or as if from, childhood: a brilliant student weaned on the classics; suburban kids weaned on rock music.
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Origin of wean
before 1000; Middle English wenen, Old English wenian; cognate with Dutch wennen, German gewöhnen, Old Norse venja to accustom
OTHER WORDS FROM wean
wean·ed·ness [wee-nid-nis, weend-] /ˈwi nɪd nɪs, ˈwind-/, nounpost·wean·ing, adjectivepre·wean·ing, adjectiveun·weaned, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wean
wean weenWords nearby wean
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for wean
British Dictionary definitions for wean (1 of 2)
wean1
/ (wiːn) /
verb (tr)
to cause (a child or young mammal) to replace mother's milk by other nourishment
(usually foll by from) to cause to desert former habits, pursuits, etc
Derived forms of wean
weaning, nounWord Origin for wean
Old English wenian to accustom; related to German gewöhnen to get used to
British Dictionary definitions for wean (2 of 2)
wean2
/ (weɪn, wiːn) /
noun
Scot and Northern English dialect a child; infant
Word Origin for wean
a contraction of wee ane or perhaps a shortened form of weanling
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for wean
wean
[ wēn ]
v.
To deprive permanently of breast milk and begin to nourish with other food.
To accustom the young of a mammal to take nourishment other than by suckling.
To gradually withdraw from a life-support system.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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