- wet nurse
- noun Date: 1620 a woman who cares for and suckles children not her own
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
wet nurse
Look at other dictionaries:
Wet nurse — Nurse Nurse (n[^u]rs), n. [OE. nourse, nurice, norice, OF. nurrice, norrice, nourrice, F. nourrice, fr. L. nutricia nurse, prop., fem. of nutricius that nourishes; akin to nutrix, icis, nurse, fr. nutrire to nourish. See {Nourish}, and cf.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
wet-nurse — [wet′nʉrs΄] vt. wet nursed, wet nursing 1. to act as wet nurse to 2. to give overly careful attention to … English World dictionary
Wet nurse — A nurse who suckles a child, especially the child of another woman. Cf. {Dry nurse}. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
wet nurse — wet nurses also wet nurse N COUNT In former times, a wet nurse was a woman who was paid to breast feed another woman s baby … English dictionary
wet-nurse — /wet nerrs /, v.t., wet nursed, wet nursing. 1. to act as a wet nurse to (an infant). 2. to give excessive care or attention to; treat as if helpless: The warden is accused of wet nursing his prisoners. [1775 85] * * * … Universalium
wet-nurse — wet ,nurse verb transitive to be a child s wet nurse a. to treat an adult like a child, especially by protecting or helping them too much … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
wet-nurse — wet′ nurse v. t. nursed, nurs•ing 1) to act as a wet nurse to (an infant) 2) to give excessive care or attention to • Etymology: 1775–85 … From formal English to slang
wet nurse — n a woman who cares for and suckles young not her own * * * a woman who breast feeds the infant of another … Medical dictionary
wet nurse — n old use a woman paid to give her breast milk to another woman s baby … Dictionary of contemporary English
wet-nurse — v [T] to give someone too much care and attention, as if they were a child … Dictionary of contemporary English
wet-nurse — v [T] to give someone too much care and attention, as if they were a child … Dictionary of contemporary English
