Where does “nurse” come from?
nurse (Middle English) comes from Middle English norice, from Old French norrice, from Latin nūtrīcia, from Latin nūtrīcius, from Latin nūtrīx, from Latin nūtriō, from Proto-Italic snoutrjō, from Proto-Indo-European snew-tr-ih₂ — to swim; to float.
nurse (Middle English): Alternative form of norice
Definitions
- Alternative form of norice
Ancestry of “nurse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | norice | A woman employed to take care of one's children... |
| 2 | Old French | norrice | a wet nurse |
| 3 | Latin | nūtrīcia | nurse |
| 4 | Latin | nūtrīcius | that suckles or nurses |
| 5 | Latin | nūtrīx | a child's nurse; wet nurse; milk mother |
| 6 | Latin | nūtriō | to suckle, breastfeed, nurse |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | snoutrjō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | snew-tr-ih₂ | female nurser |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)neh₂- | to swim; to float |