Ella Pearson MitchellR. D. Blackmore
Sue ShellenbargerRay Olson
Did you know?
Which affects a person’s development more, nurture or nature? We can’t answer that question—it’s far outside the lexicographer’s purview—but we can tell you that when nurture was first adopted into the English language in the 14th century it referred, as it does in that question, to training or upbringing, i.e. to the care and attention given to someone or something that is growing or developing. It wasn’t until a century later that the verb nurture settled into the language, first with meanings having to do with feeding and caring for young—meanings nourish had been, er, nurturing for a hundred years. The words come by their overlapping meanings etymologically: both come from the Latin verb nutrire, meaning “to suckle” or “to nourish” (as do the words nutrient, nutritious, nutriment, and nutrition). The figurative use of nurture, meaning “to further the development of,” didn’t arise until the mid-18th century. Mary Wollstonecraft applied it in her 1792 book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, writing, “Public spirit must be nurtured by private virtue.”
Synonyms
Examples of nurture in a Sentence
Chris Moore, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
This team researches, nurtures and develops ideas, but when projects outgrow the organization’s mission, they’re either passed to other organizations and partners better suited to lead or sunsetted.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
Meridith Alexander, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
In his later years, Jones continued to stay busy discovering and nurturing next-generation artists including Kauflin, Nikki Yanofsky, Emily Bear and Alfredo Rodriguez.
—Jennifer Frederick, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Nurture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nurture. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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nurture
2 of 2 verb
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