nurse

Where does the word "nurse" come from? It comes from Latin nutrire, passing through Latin and Old French before entering English (1300s).

Nurse’s story begins in Latin: nutrire meant “to feed, to nourish.” The root of 'nourish', 'nutrition' and 'nutrient'. Within Latin, it grew into nutrix by ancient. A wet nurse, one who nourishes, from nutrire. From there it passed into Old French as norrice by medieval. Carried into French for a woman who cares for and feeds a child. It reached English by 1300s as nurse. Settled as the English word for a person trained to care for the sick. Today, nurse means a person trained to care for the sick, injured, or infirm.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient nutrire "to feed, to nourish", the root of 'nourish', 'nutrition' and 'nutrient'.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient nutrix "a wet nurse, one who nourishes", a wet nurse, one who nourishes, from nutrire.
3. Stage 3 · Old French · medieval norrice "a woman who cares for and feeds a child", carried into French for a woman who cares for and feeds a child.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1300s nurse "a person trained to care for the sick or injured", settled as the English word for a person trained to care for the sick.