nurture

[ nur-cher ]

verb (used with object)

, nur·tured, nur·tur·ing.

1. to feed and protect:

   to nurture one's offspring.

2. to support and encourage, as during the period of training or development; foster:

   to nurture promising musicians.

3. to bring up; train; educate.

noun

1. rearing, upbringing, training, education, or the like.
2. development:

   the nurture of young artists.

3. something that nourishes; nourishment; food.

nurture

/ ˈnɜːtʃə /

noun

1. the act or process of promoting the development, etc, of a child
2. something that nourishes
3. biology the environmental factors that partly determine the structure of an organism See also nature

verb

1. to feed or support
2. to educate or train

Derived Forms

• ˈnurturable, adjective
• ˈnurturer, noun

Other Words From

• nur·tur·a·ble adjective
• nur·ture·less adjective
• nur·tur·er noun
• un·nur·tured adjective
• well-nur·tured adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nurture¹

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; nourish, -ure; (verb) derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nurture¹

C14: from Old French norriture, from Latin nutrīre to nourish

Synonym Study

See nurse.

Example Sentences

The new chief added, “We’re here to keep everybody safe in all communities throughout our city, and the way we do that is by nurturing trust.”

From Los Angeles Times

Jones also nurtured a new generation of artists, including Grammy-winning British musician Jacob Collier.

From BBC

Billy says nurturing the cub back to health made him rediscover the joy he had lost following the recent death of his parents.

From BBC

Instead of primarily broadcasting their own views, global health institutions can nurture communications networks that solicit local input and create opportunities for mutual learning.

From Salon

Bennett hopes there will be future seasons of “Finding Mr. Christmas,” and envisions himself as Hallmark’s answer to RuPaul, helping to nurture a new, diverse generation of talent through the show.

From Los Angeles Times