nursery

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)neh₂-“to flow”
2. Latin · derived fromnūtrīcius“that nurses or suckles; nourishing”
3. Late Latin · derived fromnūtrīcia“wet nurse”
4. Old French · derived fromnorricerie
5. Middle English · inherited fromnoricerie
6. English todaynursery

From Middle English noricerie, norserye (“children's nursery; state of being fostered or nursed; education, upbringing”) [and other forms], from Old French norricerie, nourricerie, from norrice, nourrice (modern French nourrice (“childminder, nanny; wet nurse”)) + -erie (suffix forming feminine nouns). Norrice and nourrice are derived from Late Latin nūtrīcia (“wet nurse”), from Latin nūtrīcius (“that nurses or suckles; nourishing”), from nūtriō (“to breastfeed, nurse, suckle”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- (“to flow”). The English word may be analysed as nourice, nurse + -ery (suffix forming nouns meaning ‘place of’).

Words from the same roots