ˈcherish, -ēsh, esp in pres part -əsh transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English cherisshen, from Middle French cheriss-, stem of cherir to cherish, from Old French, from chier dear, from Latin carus — more at charity
1.
a. : to hold dear : feel or show fond affection for
he admired them … cherished and protected them like pets — Edmund Wilson
b. : to keep or guard with care and affection
a birthright of freedom to be cherished and fought for
to cherish an illusion
to love and to cherish , till death us do part — Book of Com. Prayer
c. : to care for, tend, cultivate, or nurture usually with care, affection, or love
sought to cherish whatever of these forms could be made to work — John Buchan
cherish the seeds of love
d. archaic : pat , fondle
2. obsolete : entertain
3. archaic : warm
4.
a. : to have a heart : think of fondly or reverentially
Socrates would have men cherish preciously this fraction of knowledge — Irving Babbitt
b. : to contemplate, imagine, or recall fondly with joy or pleasure
she only cherishes her illness as an instrument of power — Scott Fitzgerald
c. : to entertain or harbor in one's mind deeply and resolutely, often tacitly and often pleasurably
a large school of thought cherishes a curious animus against what it calls intellectualism — W.R.Inge
few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency — Jane Austen
Synonyms: see appreciate , nurse