nurse

[ nurs ]

noun

1. a person formally educated and trained in the care of the sick or infirm. Compare nurse-midwife, nurse-practitioner, physician's assistant, practical nurse, registered nurse.
2. a woman who has the general care of a child or children; dry nurse.
3. a woman employed to suckle an infant; wet nurse.
4. any fostering agency or influence.
5. Entomology. a worker that attends the young in a colony of social insects.
6. Billiards. the act of maintaining the position of billiard balls in preparation for a carom.

verb (used with object)

, nursed, nurs·ing.

1. to tend or minister to in sickness, infirmity, etc.

   Antonyms: neglect

2. to try to cure (an ailment) by taking care of oneself:

   to nurse a cold.

3. to look after carefully so as to promote growth, development, etc.; foster; cherish:

   to nurse one's meager talents.

   Synonyms: back, aid, help, abet, encourage

   Antonyms: neglect

4. to treat or handle with adroit care in order to further one's own interests:

   to nurse one's nest egg.

5. to use, consume, or dispense very slowly or carefully:

   He nursed the one drink all evening.

6. to keep steadily in mind or memory:

   He nursed a grudge against me all the rest of his life.

7. to suckle (an infant).
8. to feed and tend in infancy.

   Synonyms: raise, rear

9. to bring up, train, or nurture.
10. to clasp or handle carefully or fondly:

    to nurse a plate of food on one's lap.

11. Billiards. to maintain the position of (billiard balls) for a series of caroms.

verb (used without object)

, nursed, nurs·ing.

1. to suckle a child, especially one's own.
2. (of a child) to suckle:

   The child did not nurse after he was three months old.

3. to act as nurse; tend the sick or infirm.

nurse

/ nɜːs /

noun

1. a person who tends the sick, injured, or infirm
2. short for nursemaid
3. a woman employed to breast-feed another woman's child; wet nurse
4. a worker in a colony of social insects that takes care of the larvae

verb

1. also intr to tend (the sick)
2. also intr to feed (a baby) at the breast; suckle
3. to try to cure (an ailment)
4. to clasp carefully or fondly

   she nursed the crying child in her arms

5. also intr (of a baby) to suckle at the breast (of)
6. to look after (a child) as one's employment
7. to attend to carefully; foster, cherish

   he nursed the magazine through its first year

   having a very small majority he nursed the constituency diligently

8. to harbour; preserve

   to nurse a grudge

9. billiards to keep (the balls) together for a series of cannons

Other Words From

• non·nursing adjective
• over·nurse verb (used with object) overnursed overnursing
• under·nurse noun
• well-nursed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nurse¹

First recorded before 1350–1400; (noun) Middle English, variant of n(o)urice, norice, from Old French, from Late Latin nūtrīcia, noun use of feminine of Latin nūtrīcius nutritious; (verb) earlier nursh (reduced form of nourish ), assimilated to the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nurse¹

C16: from earlier norice, Old French nourice, from Late Latin nūtrīcia nurse, from Latin nūtrīcius nourishing, from nūtrīre to nourish

Synonym Study

Nurse, nourish, nurture may be used almost interchangeably to refer to bringing up the young. Nurse, however, suggests attendance and service; nourish emphasizes providing whatever is needful for development; and nurture suggests tenderness and solicitude in training mind and manners.

Example Sentences

Smith returned to California in “a bad mental spot” — depression runs in his family, he says — but he regained some stability working as a nurse and as a worship leader.

From Los Angeles Times

And last month, a woman was jailed for five years after lying about her experience and qualifications to get a job as a senior nurse in a unit for sick and premature babies.

From BBC

His nurse, who was a model, suggested he get into modeling.

From Los Angeles Times

The medical care I have had from NHS doctors and nurses in Edinburgh has been exceptional.

From BBC

The study has broader implications for further research to improve the diets of isolated people, including nursing home residents, by personalising aromas to enhance the flavour of their food.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• assistant
• attendant
• medic
• registered nurse
• therapist

More About Nurse

What does nurse mean?

A nurse is someone who has been formally trained and educated to tend to the sick and infirm, as in The nurse double-checked the dosage of drugs the cancer patient was receiving. 

Related to this sense, nurse can be used to mean to tend to a person who is sick, infirm, or injured, as in The father nursed his daughter while she was sick with chickenpox. 

Nurse can also mean to take care of oneself to try to cure something, as in Jonah was nursing a cold last week. 

Nurse is also used to mean to breast-feed a baby, as in The mother cat nursed her litter of kittens.  

And nurse can mean to look after something carefully or to cherish something, as in Pat nursed her new company through the recession. 

Example: My brother went to school to be a nurse and is now working at the local hospital. 

Where does nurse come from?

The first records of the word nurse come from around 1350. The noun sense ultimately comes from the Latin nūtrīcius, meaning “nourishing.” The verb sense likely comes from nursh, which is a reduced form of nourish. To nourish is to feed or care for something, which is close to what modern nurses are expected to do.

Today, nurses are employed anywhere that sick or injured people are expected to be, such as hospitals and emergency medical shelters. They often work alongside doctors, who have more advanced training in practicing medicine.

In the United States, only 13% of nurses are men due to long-running stereotypes that nursing is a woman’s job. In reality, anyone who can perform this important medical work can be a nurse.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to nurse?

• overnurse (verb)
• undernurse (noun)
• nonnursing (adjective)
• well-nursed (adjective)

What are some synonyms for nurse?

• cradle
• nourish
• feed
• nourish
• medic

What are some words that share a root or word element with nurse? 

• nourish
• nurture

What are some words that often get used in discussing nurse?

• sick
• doctor
• school
• registered
• baby

How is nurse used in real life?

The most common usage of nurse is to describe someone trained to take care of you when you’re sick. The various verb meanings of nurse are also commonly used.

my first day of work as a nurse is tomorrow 🥺 i got butterflies head to toe

— sade (@thejadamoae) September 13, 2020

So excited to announce I have accepted a job at Toledo Hospital on the Cardiac Intermediate Unit as a RN. I cannot wait to grow as a nurse and challenge myself. A little over a month till graduation!

— Liv 🌻 (@HaskinOlivia) October 30, 2020

We are losing too many great people to COVID-19; doctors who treat patients and get ill but continue working somehow from home or the hospital beds, one age 62 another only 28; Too many nurses and other medical personnel and first responders have died.

— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) October 30, 2020

Try using nurse!

Is nurse used correctly in the following sentence?

The injured workers were cared for by nurses who tended to their cuts and sprains.