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Nursery
Definitions
- 1 A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.; Especially in European countries: a room or area in a household set apart for the care of children. broadly, countable, uncountable
"As soon as she was alone and the carriage had been driven well away from the door, Mrs. Trevelyan left the drawing-room and went up to the nursery. As she entered she clothed her face with her sweetest smile. "How is his own mother's dearest, dearest, darling duck?" she said, putting out her arms and taking the boy from the nurse."
- 2 a child's room for a baby wordnet
- 3 A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.; An institution for small children who not yet have begun primary school during daytime (when their parents work); a daycare centre. British, UK, countable, uncountable
- 4 A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.; The first year of pre-school. Philippines, countable, uncountable
- 5 A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted. also, countable, figuratively
"[S]ince for the great deſire I had To ſee faire Padua, nurſerie of Arts, I am arriu'd for fruitfull Lombardie, The pleaſant garden of great Italy."
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- 6 A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.; A place where animals breed, or where young animals are naturally or artificially reared (for example, on a farm). also, countable, figuratively, uncountable
- 7 A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.; A place where young shrubs, trees, vines, etc., are cultivated for transplanting, or (more generally) made available for public sale, a garden centre; also (obsolete) a plantation of young trees. also, countable, figuratively, uncountable
"[I]f we had but one skilful and diligent Nurſery-man, who had a complete Nurſery of all ſorts of good fruit, and of the beſt Vines that agree beſt with this Climate, and Mulberry Trees, and wholſom Trees for the avenues of Cities, Towns, and fair Manſions; That one ſuch Nurſery within ten or fifteen miles in all the Vales of theſe three united Kingdoms, would make all theſe Plantations ſpread apace, and amount to the value of Millions yearly. [...] I am ſure, that many in Wiltſhire, Hampſhire, Dorſetſhire, and Sommerſetſhire are obliged and the richer for the famous Garden of Wilton, and for the goodly Nurſeries about Saliſbury."
- 8 A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.; A club or team for developing the skills of young players. also, countable, figuratively, uncountable
- 9 Something which educates and nurtures. countable
"Commerce is the nursery of seamen."
- 10 Ellipsis of nursery cannon (“a carom shot involving balls that are very close together”). abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis
- 11 Someone or something that is nursed; a nursling. countable, obsolete, rare
- 12 The act of nursing or rearing. obsolete, uncountable
"I lou'd her moſt, and thought to ſet my reſt / On her kind nurcery, [...]"
Etymology
From Middle English noricerie, norserye (“children's nursery; state of being fostered or nursed; education, upbringing”) [and other forms], from Old French norricerie, nourricerie, from norrice, nourrice (modern French nourrice (“childminder, nanny; wet nurse”)) + -erie (suffix forming feminine nouns). Norrice and nourrice are derived from Late Latin nūtrīcia (“wet nurse”), from Latin nūtrīcius (“that nurses or suckles; nourishing”), from nūtriō (“to breastfeed, nurse, suckle”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- (“to flow”). The English word may be analysed as nourice, nurse + -ery (suffix forming nouns meaning ‘place of’).
See also for "nursery"
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