nurture. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

nurture

SYLLABICATION:	nur·ture
PRONUNCIATION:	nûrchr
NOUN:	1. Something that nourishes; sustenance. 2. The act of bringing up. 3. Biology The sum of environmental influences and conditions acting on an organism.
TRANSITIVE VERB:	Inflected forms: nur·tured, nur·tur·ing, nur·tures 1. To nourish; feed. 2. To educate; train. 3. To help grow or develop; cultivate: nurture a student's talent.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin ntrtra, act of suckling, from Latin ntrtus, past participle of ntrre, to suckle. See (s)nu- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	nurtur·er —NOUN
SYNONYMS:	nurture, cultivate, foster, nurse These verbs mean to promote and sustain the growth and development of: nurturing hopes; cultivating tolerance; foster friendly relations; nursed the fledgling business.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.