Nourish

Nourish - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

NOURISH, v.t. [G. to nourish, cannot be the same word unless they have lost a dental, which may perhaps be the fact.]

1. To feed and cause to grow; to supply a living or organized body, animal or vegetable, with matter which increases its bulk or supplies the waste occasioned by any of its functions; to supply with nutriment.

2. To support; to maintain by feeding. Gen 47.

Whilst I in Ireland nourish a mighty band, I will stir up in England some black storm.

3. To supply the means of support and increase; to encourage; as, to nourish rebellion; to nourish the virtues.

What madness was ti, with such proofs, to nourish their contentions!

4. To cherish; to comfort. James 5.

5. To educate; to instruct; to promote growth in attainments. 1 Tim 4.

NOURISH, v.i.

1. To promote growth.

Grains and roots nourish more then leaves. [Elliptical.]

2. To gain nourishment. [Unusual.]

nur'-ish (giddel, chiyyah, kilkel, ribbah; trepho, anatrepho, ektrepho, entrepho): While the word "nourish" was ordinarily an appropriate rendering in the time of the King James Version, the word has since become much less frequent, and some senses have largely passed out of ordinary use, so that the meaning would now in most cases be better expressed by some other word. Giddel means "to bring up," "rear (children)" (Isa 1:2, margin "made great"; Isa 23:4; Da 1:5); "cause (a tree) to grow" (Isa 44:14). Chiyyah means "to preserve alive" (with some implication of care) (2Sa 12:3; Isa 7:21, the American Standard Revised Version "keep alive"). Kilkal means "to support," "maintain" "provide for" (especially with food) (Ge 45:11; 47:12; 50:21). Ribbah means "to bring up," "rear (whelps)," in a figurative use Eze 19:2). Trepho means "to feed" (transitively) (Ac 12:20, the Revised Version (British and American) "feed"; Re 12:14); "to fatten" (Jas 5:5, the context indicating an unfavorable meaning). Anatrepho is "to bring up," "rear," like giddel (Ac 7:20,21); ektrepho is "to take care of" (Eph 5:29); entrepho means "to bring up in," "train in" (1Ti 4:6).

George Ricker Berry