English Explanatory Dictionary

nurture

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The act of nourishing or nursing; tender care
  2. That which nourishes; food; diet.
  3. The environmental influences that contribute to a person’s development (as opposed to "nature").
  4. The act or process of encouraging the growth or development of something.
verb
  1. To nourish or nurse.
  2. To encourage, especially the growth or development of something.

Pronunciation

/ˈnɜːɹ.t͡ʃəɹ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Mélange a trois-nurture.wav

Word forms

nurture nurtures nouriture nutriture nurturing nurtured

Etymology

From Middle English norture, noriture, from Old French norriture, norreture, from Late Latin nutritura (“nourishment”), from Latin nutrire (“to nourish”).

Synonyms

upbringing raising education training encourage foster feed grow cultivate promote raise

Antonyms

destroy hinder

Related words

nourish nourishment nurse nursery nurturance nutrient nutriment nutrition nutritional nutritious nutritive

Derived words

nature vs nurture nurtural nurturant nurtureless nurturement nurtureship nurturist misnurture nurturable nurturer unnurtured
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