nurture

****************************************************************
Spring into action with Merriam-Webster's Learner's Word
of the Day--perfect for ESL students. It's free!
http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/learner_signup.html
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for May 14 is: 

nurture   \NER-cher\   verb
     1 : to supply with nourishment 
     2 : educate 
    *3 : to further the development of : foster

Example sentence:
     Karen carefully nurtured the tomato seedlings, providing them with optimum 
water and sunlight.

Did you know?
     It's no coincidence that "nurture" is a synonym of "nourish" -- both are 
derived from the Latin verb "nutrire," meaning "to suckle" or "to nourish." The 
noun "nurture" first appeared in English in the 14th century, but the verb 
didn't arrive until the 15th century. Originally, the verb "nurture" meant "to 
feed or nourish." The sense meaning "to promote the development of" didn't come 
into being until the end of the 18th century. Mary Wollstonecraft, mother of 
_Frankenstein_-author Mary Shelley, is credited with first giving life to that 
sense in her _Vindication of the Rights of Woman_ (1792): "Public spirit must 
be nurtured by private virtue." Other "nutrire" descendants in English include 
"nutrient," "nutritious," "nutriment," "nutrition," and, of course, 
"nourishment."







You Are Subscribed As: GCLW-MW-WOD7@xxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe, change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2006 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102

*mf mwt 051406 GCLW-MW-WOD7@xxxxxxxxx mf*

---
You are currently subscribed to mw-text as: GCLW-MW-WOD7@xxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
leave-mw-text-979910Y@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx