CHERISH


Meaning of CHERISH in English

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

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.