nursed

nurse  (nûrs)

n.

1. A person educated and trained to care for the sick or disabled.

2.

a. A woman employed to take care of a child; a nursemaid.

b. A woman employed to suckle children other than her own; a wet nurse.

3. One that serves as a nurturing or fostering influence or means: "Town life is the nurse of civilization" (C.L.R. James).

4. Zoology A worker ant or bee that feeds and cares for the colony's young.

v. nursed, nurs·ing, nurs·es

v.tr.

1. To serve as a nurse for: nursed the patient back to health.

2.

a. To cause or allow to take milk from the breast: a mother nursing her baby.

b. To feed at the breast of; suckle.

3. To try to cure by special care or treatment: nurse a cough with various remedies.

4. To treat carefully, especially in order to prevent pain: He nursed his injured knee by shifting his weight to the other leg.

5. To manage or guide carefully; look after with care; foster: nursed her business through the depression. See Synonyms at nurture.

6. To bear privately in the mind: nursing a grudge.

7. To consume slowly, especially in order to conserve: nursed one drink all evening.

v.intr.

1. To serve as a nurse.

2. To take nourishment from the breast; suckle.

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[Middle English norice, nurse, wet nurse, from Old French norrice, from Vulgar Latin *nutrcia, from Late Latin ntrcia, from feminine of Latin ntrcius, that suckles, from ntrx, ntrc-, wet nurse; see (s)nu- in Indo-European roots.]

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nurser n.

Thesaurus

Adj.

1.

nursed - (of an infant) breast-fed suckled breast-fed - (of an infant) fed milk from the mother's breast