nourish

English

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for nourish in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)

Etymology

From Middle English norischen, from Old French nouriss-, stem of one of the conjugated forms of norrir, from Latin nutrire (“to suckle, feed, foster, nourish, cherish, preserve, support”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, NYC, other accents without the "Hurry-furry" merger) IPA^(key): /ˈnʌɹ.ɪʃ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈnʌɹ.ɪʃ/, /ˈnɝ.ɪʃ/
  • (hypercorrection) IPA^(key): /ˈnʊɹ.ɪʃ/

• Audio (General American)

  (file)

Noun

nourish (plural nourishes)

1. (obsolete) A nurse.

Verb

nourish (third-person singular simple present nourishes, present participle nourishing, simple past and past participle nourished)

1. To feed and cause to grow; to supply with matter which increases bulk or supplies waste, and promotes health; to furnish with nutriment.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Isaiah 44:14:

     He planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.

2. To support; to maintain.
   • 1591, William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, 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 III, scene i]:

     I in Ireland nourish a mighty band.

3. To supply the means of support and increase to; to encourage; to foster

   to nourish rebellion

   to nourish virtues

4. To cherish; to comfort.
   • 1611, King James Version, James v. 5

     Ye have nourished your hearts.

5. To educate; to instruct; to bring up; to nurture; to promote the growth of in attainments.
   • 1611, King James Version, 1 Timothy iv. 6

     Nourished up in the words of faith.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Chaucer to this entry?)

6. To promote growth; to furnish nutriment.
7. (intransitive, obsolete) To gain nourishment.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)

Derived terms

• nourishment

Related terms

• nurse
• nutriment
• nutrition

Translations

to feed and cause to grow

• Armenian: կերակրել (hy) (kerakrel), սնուցել (hy) (snucʿel)
• Czech: živit (cs), vyživovat
• Esperanto: kreskigi, eduki (eo)
• Finnish: ravita (fi)
• French: nourrir (fr)
• Friulian: nudrî
• German: ernähren (de), nähren (de), aufziehen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: τρέφω (tréphō), φέρβω (phérbō) (Epic), ἀλδαίνω (aldaínō) (Epic)

• Hungarian: táplál (hu)
• Irish: beathaigh, biathaigh

  Old Irish: ailid

• Italian: nutrire (it)
• Latin: alere
• Portuguese: nutrir (pt)
• Romanian: nutri (ro)
• Russian: корми́ть (ru) impf (kormítʹ), пита́ть (ru) impf (pitátʹ), вска́рмливать (ru) impf (vskármlivatʹ) (esp. of suckling), расти́ть (ru) impf (rastítʹ) (to rear, to raise)
• Spanish: nutrir (es)
• Thai: หล่อเลี้ยง (th) (lɔ̀ɔ-líiang)
• Turkish: beslemek (tr)
• Venetian: norir (vec)
• Welsh: porthi (cy), maethu (cy)

To support; to maintain.

• Esperanto: subteni

To supply the means of support; to encourage; to foster

• Esperanto: subteni

• Latin: alō (la)

To cherish; to comfort.

To educate; to instruct; to bring up; to nurture

• Esperanto: kreskigi, eduki (eo)
• German: erziehen (de), großziehen (de), aufziehen (de)

• Venetian: norir (vec)

To promote growth; to furnish nutriment.

• Venetian: norir (vec)

To gain nourishment.

Further reading

• nourish in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• nourish in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• nourish at OneLook Dictionary Search