First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
1nurse
noun \ˈnərs\
: a person who is trained to care for sick or injured people and who usually works in a hospital or doctor's office
: a woman who is paid to take care of a young child usually in the child's home
Full Definition of NURSE
1
2
: one that looks after, fosters, or advises
3
: a person who cares for the sick or infirm; specifically : a licensed health-care professional who practices independently or is supervised by a physician, surgeon, or dentist and who is skilled in promoting and maintaining health — compare licensed practical nurse, registered nurse
4
a : a worker form of a social insect (as an ant or a bee) that cares for the young b : a female mammal used to suckle the young of another
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Origin of NURSE
Middle English norice, norce, nurse, from Anglo-French nurice, from Late Latin nutricia, from Latin, feminine of nutricius nourishing — more at nutritious
2nurse
verb
: to take care of or help (someone who is sick or injured)
: to give special care or attention to (something) : to try to keep (something) from failing
: to feed (a baby or young animal) with milk from the mother's body
nursednurs·ing
Full Definition of NURSE
transitive verb
1
a : to nourish at the breast : suckle b : to take nourishment from the breast of
3
a : to promote the development or progress of b : to manage with care or economy <nursed the business through hard times> <nursed a 1–0 lead> c : to take charge of and watch over
4
a : to care for and wait on (as a sick person) b : to attempt to cure by care and treatment
5
: to hold in one's memory or consideration <nurse a grievance>
6
a : to use, handle, or operate carefully so as to conserve energy or avoid injury or pain <nurse a sprained ankle> b : to use sparingly c : to consume slowly or over a long period <nurse a cup of coffee>
intransitive verb
1
a : to feed an offspring from the breast b : to feed at the breast : suck
2
: to act or serve as a nurse
— nurs·er noun
See nurse defined for English-language learners
Origin of NURSE
Middle English nurshen to suckle, nourish, contraction of nurishen
First Known Use: 14th century
Related to NURSE
- Synonyms
- administer (to), care (for), minister (to), mother, do for [chiefly British], look after, look out for, look to, see to, take care of, wait on (also wait upon)
Nurse
biographical name \ˈnərs\
Definition of NURSE
Sir Paul Maxime 1949– British geneticist
NURSE Defined for Kids
1nurse
noun \ˈnərs\
Definition of NURSE for Kids
1
: a person skilled or trained in caring for sick or injured people
2
: a woman employed for the care of a young child
Word History of NURSE
The English word nurse can be traced back to a Latin word nutricius that meant “nourishing” or “feeding.” In the past some mothers did not feed their babies at their own breasts but hired someone else to do so. The English word nurse was first used for such a woman. Later it came to be used for any woman hired to take care of a young child. The word nurse is also used now for a person who takes care of sick or injured people.
2nurse
verb
nursednurs·ing
Definition of NURSE for Kids
1
: to feed at the breast : suckle
2
: to take care of (as a young child or a sick person) <She nursed me back to health.>
3
: to treat with special care or attention <Nurse that ankle until it's all healed.>
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