wean

[ ween ]
See synonyms for: weanweaning on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to accustom (a child or young animal) to food other than mother's milk; cause to lose the need to suckle or turn to the mother for food.

  2. 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
  1. 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.

Origin of wean

1
First recorded 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-/, noun
  • post·wean·ing, adjective
  • pre·wean·ing, adjective
  • un·weaned, adjective

Words that may be confused with wean

Words Nearby wean

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use wean in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wean (1 of 2)

wean1

/ (wiːn) /


verb(tr)
  1. to cause (a child or young mammal) to replace mother's milk by other nourishment

  2. (usually foll by from) to cause to desert former habits, pursuits, etc

Origin of wean

1
Old English wenian to accustom; related to German gewöhnen to get used to

Derived forms of wean

  • weaning, noun

British Dictionary definitions for wean (2 of 2)

wean2

/ (weɪn, wiːn) /


noun
  1. Scot and Northern English dialect a child; infant

Origin of wean

2
a contraction of wee ane or perhaps a shortened form of weanling

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