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• wet nurse
  wet nurse

  noun

  a woman hired to suckle another's infant.
• wet-nurse
  wet-nurse

  verb (used with object)

  to act as a wet nurse to (an infant).

wet nurse

¹ American  

noun

1. a woman hired to suckle another's infant.

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wet-nurse ² American  

[wet-nurs] / ˈwɛtˌnɜrs /

verb (used with object)

wet-nursed, wet-nursing

1. to act as a wet nurse to (an infant).

2. to give excessive care or attention to; treat as if helpless.

   The warden is accused of wet-nursing his prisoners.

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wet nurse British  

noun

1. a woman hired to suckle the child of another

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verb

1. to act as a wet nurse to (a child)

2. informal to attend with great devotion

Etymology

Origin of wet nurse¹

First recorded in 1610–20

Origin of wet-nurse²

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Her aunt was the soprano Valentina Bartolomasi, and young Mirella had the same wet nurse as Modena’s most famous singer, who was born 7 1/2 months later, Luciano Pavarotti.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2020

The jumps — from a private D.C. golf club to the bed of Sophia Loren’s wet nurse to a performance of the all-bear Moscow State Circus — recall the quick cuts of Renata Adler's “Speedboat.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2018

A wet nurse is feeding the baby, Henri Valpincon, alongside the mother, while the family dog looks on.

From Washington Post • Aug. 22, 2018

She first acted as a wet nurse to help out a friend whose baby was in hospital.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2018

The woman had been a palace fixture since she’d been engaged as a wet nurse when Aurelia was born, and she had been interfering and even criticizing ever since.

From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks

Related Words

• assistant
• attendant
• medic
• registered nurse
• therapist