What does "nursery" mean?
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.
Nursery
/ˈnɜːsəɹi/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: 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.
- Grammar: nursery is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: baby room, baby's room, bedchamber, bedroom.
- Useful contrasts: adult care, adult room, elder care.
- Usage evidence: The youngest child spent every morning at a nursery.
How to use "nursery"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nursery" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nursery" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nursery" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nursery" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "nursery" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "baby room" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "nursery", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 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."
Show 7 more definitions
- 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, [...]"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The youngest child spent every morning at a nursery."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nursery"?
Common synonyms include: baby room, baby's room, bedchamber, bedroom, birthplace, blood bank.
How do you use "nursery" in a sentence?
The youngest child spent every morning at a nursery.
How do you pronounce "nursery"?
Pronounced /ˈnɜːsəɹi/.
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’).