English
nourish
Nourish comes from Middle English norischen ‘to consume food or nourishment’, from Proto-Indo-European *snew-tr-ih₂ ‘female nurser’, and ultimately from *(s)neh₂- ‘to swim’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₂-‘to swim’root as named
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*snew-tr-ih₂‘female nurser’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*snoutrjōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnutriō‘to suckle, feed, foster, nourish, cherish, preserve, support’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400nouriss-
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500norischen‘to consume food or nourishment’
- Englishearliest quotation 1561nourish
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₂-‘to swim’root as named
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*snew-tr-ih₂‘female nurser’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*snoutrjōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnutriō‘to suckle, feed, foster, nourish, cherish, preserve, support’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400nouriss-
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500norischen‘to consume food or nourishment’
- Englishearliest quotation 1561nourish
Earliest quotation: 1561, Richard Eden, Aldermen of the Citie of London: “[T]he fauour of Princes and Magiſtrates noryſheth, augmenteth, and…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- ‘to swim’
naval, navigation, insulin, navigate, nausea, navigator, insular, navigable, nao, nau, astronautics, insula, 22 more
through Latin nutriō ‘to suckle, feed, foster, nourish, cherish,…’
nurse, nutrition, nutrient, nurture, nutritious, nutritive, 2 more
Today it means
noun A nurse.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- / nourish