nurture

Definitions

From Latin nūtrītūra, 'a feeding, a rearing,' from nūtrīre (to feed). nurt (feed) + -ure (act/process) = 'the act of feeding and rearing.' Feeding here is stretched all the way into upbringing: to nurture is to feed, protect, and develop a living thing over time — a child, a talent, a friendship.

Why It Means This

Nurture lives most famously in the phrase 'nature versus nurture.' Nature is what you're born with — your genes; nurture is everything your environment feeds into you as you grow — your family, schooling, and experiences. The word's feeding root is the whole point: just as food builds the body, nurture is the steady 'feeding' of care, teaching, and love that builds the person. That's why we talk about nurturing not just children but talents, ideas, and relationships.

Common Collocations

• 1.nurture talent培养才能
• 2.nurture a relationship经营关系
• 3.nature versus nurture先天与后天
• 4.nurture creativity培育创造力
• 5.nurturing environment滋养性的环境

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Good teachers nurture curiosity instead of just teaching facts.

• 2.

  She nurtured the small business until it became a national brand.

• 3.

  The debate over nature versus nurture is far from settled.

• 4.

  He nurtured a quiet hope of one day returning home.

Easily Confused

nurture vs foster vs cultivate — All mean help something grow. nurture stresses tender, sustained care (nurture a child). foster is to actively promote or bring about (foster cooperation; also: foster a child = raise someone else's child). cultivate is deliberate, almost strategic development (cultivate a skill, cultivate contacts). Warm care → nurture; deliberate growing → cultivate; actively encourage → foster.