dry nurse

A nurse employed to care for but not breast-feed an infant.

dry′-nurse′ v.

(Professions) a nurse who cares for a child without suckling it. Compare wet nurse

(Social Welfare) to care for (a baby or young child) without suckling

dry′ nurse`

a nurse who takes care of but does not breast-feed another's infant. Compare wet nurse.

[1590–1600]

dry′-nurse`, v.t. -nursed, -nurs•ing.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

dry nurse - a nurse who cares for but does not suckle an infant

nanny, nursemaid, nurse - a woman who is the custodian of children

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

See, here, Wiggle-and-Skip," I says, "you know that it ain't the nature of a real man to play dry nurse to a dog in public.

Brown, seeing the boy's inaptitude for female guidance, had decided in Benjy's favour, and from thenceforth the old man was Tom's dry nurse.

There's also the grumpy old woman in grey, thought to be Edward VI's dry nurse, Sibell Penn, who died in 1562.

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