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Wean
Definitions
- 1 A locality in the Gunnedah council area and the Narrabri council area, northern New South Wales, Australia.
- 1 A young child. Scotland
"I, being but a yearling wean."
- 1 To cease giving breast milk to an offspring; to accustom and reconcile (a child or young animal) to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder. transitive
"The cow has weaned her calf."
- 2 gradually deprive (infants and young mammals) of mother's milk wordnet
- 3 To cease giving breast milk to an offspring; to accustom and reconcile (a child or young animal) to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder.; To habituate (someone) to something, especially since childhood. broadly, often, transitive
"His generation was weaned on 1980's music."
- 4 detach the affections of wordnet
- 5 To cease to depend on the mother's milk for nutrition. intransitive
"The kittens are finally weaning."
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- 6 To cause to quit something to which one is addicted, dependent, or habituated. broadly, transitive
"He managed to wean himself off heroin."
- 7 To cease to depend. broadly, intransitive
"She is weaning from her addiction to tobacco."
- 8 To raise, to help grow toward maturity broadly, obsolete, transitive
"For they are friends that help to weane my ſtate, Till men and kingdomes help to ſtrengthen it: […]"
Etymology
From Middle English wenen, from Old English wenian (“to accustom; habituate; train; prepare; make fit”), from Proto-West Germanic *wannjan, from Proto-Germanic *wanjaną (“to make wont; accustom”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to strive for; wish; love”). Cognate with Dutch wennen, German gewöhnen, Danish vænne, Swedish vänja, Icelandic venja. Related via PIE to wone, wont, and wonder, and perhaps win.
Borrowed from Scots wean (literally “wee one”).
See also for "wean"
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