nourish

Etymology

From Middle English norischen, from Old French nouriss-, stem of one of the conjugated forms of norrir, from Latin nutriō (“to suckle, feed, foster, nourish, cherish, preserve, support”).

noun

1. (obsolete) A nurse.

verb

1. (transitive) To feed and cause to grow; to supply with food or other matter which increases weight and promotes health.
   other carnivorous Animals are difficultly nourished by Plants alone 1623, Francis Bacon, Historia Vitae et Mortis
   Children nourished exclusively upon this simple food will be found to enjoy more perfect health 1872, Thomas Bull, The Maternal Management of Children, in Health and Diseases
   we have ample evidence that male Bobolinks do not shirk the labor of nourishing their families. In a four-year study, Wittenberger (1980, 1982) found that males delivered about 60 Bobolink percent of the food. 1996, Alexander Frank Skutch, Orioles, Blackbirds, and Their Kin: A Natural History
2. (transitive) To support; to maintain; to be responsible for.
3. (transitive) To encourage; to foster; to stimulate
   When we slow down to pay attention to our own experience, we open ourselves to the love and richness that is here all the time. These are moments that can nourish your connection to your heart. 2003, Marilyn Byfield Paul, It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys
   I thanked the Fort Leavenworth military historian, Colonel von Schlemmer, for nourishing my first hope to memorialize the Buffalo Soldiers 2010, Colin L. Powell, My American Journey
   to nourish civility
   to nourish a sense of self-worth
4. (transitive)To cherish; to comfort.
5. (transitive, of a person) To educate or bring up; to nurture; to promote emotional, spiritual or other non-physical growth.
6. (intransitive) To promote growth; to furnish nutriment.
   This type of nourishes very well.
7. (intransitive, obsolete) To gain nourishment.