51Թ

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nurse

[nurs]

noun

  1. a person formally educated and trained in the care of the sick or infirm.

  2. a woman who has the general care of a child or children; dry nurse.

  3. a woman employed to suckle an infant; wet nurse.

  4. any fostering agency or influence.

  5. Entomology.a worker that attends the young in a colony of social insects.

  6. Billiards.the act of maintaining the position of billiard balls in preparation for a carom.



verb (used with object)

nursed, nursing 
  1. to tend or minister to in sickness, infirmity, etc.

    Antonyms:
  2. to try to cure (an ailment) by taking care of oneself.

    to nurse a cold.

  3. to look after carefully so as to promote growth, development, etc.; foster; cherish.

    to nurse one's meager talents.

    Synonyms: , , , ,
    Antonyms:
  4. to treat or handle with adroit care in order to further one's own interests.

    to nurse one's nest egg.

  5. to use, consume, or dispense very slowly or carefully.

    He nursed the one drink all evening.

  6. to keep steadily in mind or memory.

    He nursed a grudge against me all the rest of his life.

  7. to suckle (an infant).

  8. to feed and tend in infancy.

    Synonyms: ,
  9. to bring up, train, or nurture.

  10. to clasp or handle carefully or fondly.

    to nurse a plate of food on one's lap.

  11. Billiards.to maintain the position of (billiard balls) for a series of caroms.

verb (used without object)

nursed, nursing 
  1. to suckle a child, especially one's own.

  2. (of a child) to suckle.

    The child did not nurse after he was three months old.

  3. to act as nurse; tend the sick or infirm.

nurse

/ ɜː /

noun

  1. a person who tends the sick, injured, or infirm

  2. short for nursemaid

  3. a woman employed to breast-feed another woman's child; wet nurse

  4. a worker in a colony of social insects that takes care of the larvae

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (also intr) to tend (the sick)

  2. (also intr) to feed (a baby) at the breast; suckle

  3. to try to cure (an ailment)

  4. to clasp carefully or fondly

    she nursed the crying child in her arms

  5. (also intr) (of a baby) to suckle at the breast (of)

  6. to look after (a child) as one's employment

  7. to attend to carefully; foster, cherish

    he nursed the magazine through its first year

    having a very small majority he nursed the constituency diligently

  8. to harbour; preserve

    to nurse a grudge

  9. billiards to keep (the balls) together for a series of cannons

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • nonnursing adjective
  • overnurse verb (used with object)
  • undernurse noun
  • well-nursed adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of nurse1

First recorded before 1350–1400; (noun) Middle English, variant of n(o)urice, norice, from Old French, from Late Latin ūٰī, noun use of feminine of Latin ūٰīܲ nutritious; (verb) earlier nursh (reduced form of nourish ), assimilated to the noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of nurse1

C16: from earlier norice, Old French nourice, from Late Latin ūٰī nurse, from Latin ūٰīܲ nourishing, from ūٰī to nourish
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Synonym Study

Nurse, nourish, nurture may be used almost interchangeably to refer to bringing up the young. Nurse, however, suggests attendance and service; nourish emphasizes providing whatever is needful for development; and nurture suggests tenderness and solicitude in training mind and manners.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

All states except Alaska have at least one provider tax on managed care plans, hospitals, nursing homes, emergency ground transportation, or other types of health care businesses.

From

About the only measure everyone says is needed is more provision of school doctors, nurses and psychologists in order to detect early signs of pupils going off the rails.

From

Lord Adebowale's mother, who had three other children, emigrated to the UK in the 1950s from Nigeria and went on to work as a nurse in hospitals, the community and mental health services.

From

The California Public Health Department has dropped efforts to suspend the license of a Hollywood nursing home whose actions were found to have led to two patient deaths in recent years.

From

The San Diego program will target majors in behavioral health, including clinicians, practitioners and psychiatric nurses — professions with a collective 8,000-worker shortfall in San Diego.

From

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When To Use

What does nurse mean?

A nurse is someone who has been formally trained and educated to tend to the sick and infirm, as in The nurse double-checked the dosage of drugs the cancer patient was receiving. Related to this sense, nurse can be used to mean to tend to a person who is sick, infirm, or injured, as in The father nursed his daughter while she was sick with chickenpox. Nurse can also mean to take care of oneself to try to cure something, as in Jonah was nursing a cold last week. Nurse is also used to mean to breast-feed a baby, as in The mother cat nursed her litter of kittens.  And nurse can mean to look after something carefully or to cherish something, as in Pat nursed her new company through the recession. Example: My brother went to school to be a nurse and is now working at the local hospital. 

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üԲnurse a drink