Nourish
verb /ˈnʌr.ɪʃ/ — To provide food and sustenance; to cherish and help grow.
Definition
To provide with the food, water, and other substances necessary for growth and health. Metaphorically: to foster or keep alive a feeling, hope, belief, or relationship with care and attention. To nourish is to feed what matters.
Beyond the definition
Nourishment is not just food. It is everything that feeds the living thing — warmth, attention, space, kindness. What you nourish grows. What you neglect eventually goes silent.
Origin & history
Latin: 'nutrire' (to feed, to nourish). The same root as 'nutrition', 'nurse', and 'nurture'. The Proto-Indo-European root *sna- (to swim, to flow) connects nourishment to water and life.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The garden nourished her in ways she hadn't expected — not just beauty but ritual, patience, something alive.
She nourished the friendship carefully, knowing it was rarer than it appeared.
Good food nourishes; great food does something more — it reminds you that you are alive.
Synonyms
feed, nurture, sustain, cultivate
Antonyms
starve, neglect, deprive
Related words
Nourish vs feed
To feed is the simple act of providing sustenance or fuel. To nourish is a deeper, more intentional act of promoting health, growth, and overall well-being.
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Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Shoot Growing Through Marble
A small, vibrant green shoot grows through a jagged crack in a heavy marble floor.
The plant feeding on the environment despite the harsh marble represents the process of nourishment—fostering life and growth through constant, careful attention and support even in difficult, stony surroundings.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration