English
nurture
Pronunciation
  • IPA: /ˈnɜːɹ.tʃəɹ/
Noun

nurture

  1. The act of nourishing or nursing; tender care
    Synonyms: upbringing, raising, education, training
  2. That which nourishes; food; diet.
    • 1596, Edmund Spenser, A Veue of the Present State of Ireland
      Other great houses there be of the English in Ireland, which, through licentious conversing with the Irish, or marrying, or fostering with them or lack of meet nurture, or other such unhappy occasions, have degenerated from their ancient dignities and are now grown as Irish as O'Hanlon's breech, as the proverb there is.
  3. The environmental influences that contribute to the development of an individual (as opposed to "nature").
    • 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act 4, scene i], page 15 ↗:
      A Deuill, a borne-Deuill, on whoſe nature / Nurture can neuer ſticke :
    • 1649, John Milton, Eikonoklastes
      A man neither by nature nor by nurture wise.
Translations Translations Translations Verb

nurture (nurtures, present participle nurturing; past and past participle nurtured)

  1. To nourish or nurse.
  2. (figuratively, by extension) To encourage, especially the growth or development of something.
    • 2009, UNESCO, The United Nations World Water Development Report – N° 3 - 2009 – Freshwater and International Law (the Interplay between Universal, Regional and Basin Perspectives), page 10, ISBN 9231041363
      The relationships between universal norms and specific norms nurture the development of international law.
Synonyms
  • (figuratively, to encourage) seeSynonyms en
Related terms Translations Translations

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