nurse (nûrs)
n.

1. A person educated and trained to care for the sick or disabled.
2. 1. A woman employed to take care of a child; a nursemaid.
   2. 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. 1. To cause or allow to take milk from the breast: a mother nursing her baby.
   2. 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.

[Middle English norice, nurse, wet nurse, from Old French norrice, from Vulgar Latin *nutrīcia, from Late Latin nūtrīcia, from feminine of Latin nūtrīcius, that suckles, from nūtrīx, nūtrīc-, wet nurse.]

nurser nurs'er n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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