nurture

plural nurtures · alternative obsolete nouriture · alternative obsolete nutriture

1. countableuncountableThe act of nourishing or nursing; tender care

   Synonyms: upbringing, raising, education, training

2. countableuncountableThat which nourishes; food; diet.

   1 more example

   Other great houses there bee of the English in Ireland, which thorough licentious conversing with the Irish, or marrying, or fostering with them, or lacke of meete nurture, or other such unhappy occasions, have degendred from their auncient dignities, and are now growne as Irish, as O-hanlans breech, as the proverbe there is.

   1596 (date written; published 1633), Edmund Spenser, A Vewe of the Present State of Irelande […], Dublin: […] Societie of Stationers, […], →OCLC; republished as A View of the State of Ireland […] (Ancient Irish Histories), Dublin: […] Society of Stationers, […] Hibernia Press, […] [b]y John Morrison, 1809, →OCLC, page 110

3. countableuncountableThe environmental influences that contribute to a person’s development (as opposed to "nature").

   […]a man neither by nature nor by nurture wiſe.

   1649, J[ohn] Milton, “Upon His Retirement from ’’Westminster’’”, in ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC, page 59

   1 more example

   A Deuill, a borne-Deuill, on whoſe nature / Nurture can neuer ſticke :

   1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], page 15

4. countableuncountableThe act or process of encouraging the growth or development of something.

   The problem is aggravated by the fact that much of the gay sub-culture is not conducive to the nurture of the radical ego integrity of which Erikson speaks.

   1976 February 7, Philip Gambone, “Coming Out: The Gay Identity Process”, in Gay Community News, volume 3, number 32, page 4

present singular third person nurtures · participle present nurturing · participle past nurtured · past nurtured · alternative obsolete nouriture · alternative obsolete nutriture

1. To nourish or nurse.

   Look where he would, some heap of ruins afforded him rich promise of a working off; the whole town appeared to have been ploughed, and sown, and nurtured by most genial weather; and a goodly harvest was at hand.

   1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 70.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 344

2. broadlyfigurativelyTo encourage, especially the growth or development of something.

   1 more example

   2009, UNESCO, The United Nations World Water Development Report – N° 3 - 2009 – Freshwater and International Law (the Interplay between Universal, Regional and Basin Perspectives), page 10, →ISBN The relationships between universal norms and specific norms nurture the development of international law.