ˈnər.]ish, ˈnə.r], ]ēsh, chiefly in pres part ]əsh verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English nurishen, norishen, norissen, from Old French norriss-, stem of norrir, from Latin nutrire; akin to Latin nare, natare to swim, Greek nan to flow, nein to swim, noteros damp, Sanskrit snauti it drips, snāti he bathes
transitive verb
1.
a. : to bring up : raise , nurture , rear
to save my boy, to nourish and bring him up — Shakespeare
it was for Chaucer, nourished in other literatures … to make rapid advances on the road of English poetry — H.S.Bennett
nourished in the old bootlegger days … demanded his cut from every pie — George Carter
b. archaic : to bring up (an animal) : raise
episcopal visitors were recording … that it was scandalous to nourish hunting dogs in monasteries — G.G.Coulton
2. : to promote or stimulate the growth or development of : build up , strengthen
has nourished in us the dream of liberty — Liston Pope
no occasions to exercise the feelings nor nourish passion — L.O.Coxe
3. : breast-feed , suckle
wish she would not see fit to sit down and nourish her baby in my poor old bachelor drawing room — H.G.Wells
4.
a. : to furnish or sustain with food or nutriment
the human body can be nourished on any food — R.W.Emerson
the rain which nourished the bushes — Laura Krey
the heart speeds up and the blood pressure rises to better nourish the tissues — H.G.Armstrong
b. : to provide with sustenance
the glow of a fire nourished by partially dried logs — P.A.Talbot
this great work nourished American lawyers — Howard M. Jones
c. : to provide for : maintain , support
thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen … and there will I nourish thee — Gen. 45:10-11 (Authorized Version)
welfare committees whose task it is to nourish the social life of old people — M.A.Abrams
their profits flow into the underworld and nourish other criminal activities — Beverly Smith
5.
a. archaic : to grow or let grow (one's hair)
nourished two locks, which graceful hung behind in equal curls — Alexander Pope
b. archaic : to cultivate (as plants or trees)
it's a' for the apple he'll nourish the tree — Robert Burns
6. : to cherish or keep alive (as a feeling or plan)
nourished the hope that something might come of it later — L.C.Douglas
nourish a shrewd distrust of anybody who looked like a big tycoon — F.L.Allen
for many years had nourished the project of a trip abroad
intransitive verb
1. obsolete : to furnish nourishment
grains and roots nourish more than the leaves — Francis Bacon
2. : to receive nourishment : be fed
thrives and nourishes where poverty prevails — M.O.Purcell
Synonyms: see feed