nursery
NER-suh-ree
/ˈnɜːrsəri/
A room or place set apart for young children; a place where young plants are grown for sale or transplanting.
Nursery can refer to a private bedroom for a baby, a commercial daycare facility, or a horticultural center.
The story behind the word. Like 'nurture,' nursery traces back to the Latin 'nutrire' (to nourish). In late medieval French, it became 'norricerie,' a place where infants were nursed by wet nurses. The word eventually branched out in two directions: a place to raise human babies, and a place to raise 'baby' plants.
Word relationships
- daycare: Daycare refers specifically to a commercial facility providing care for children during the day, while nursery can be a private bedroom or a plant-growing facility.
- creche: Creche is a British/European term for a nursery or daycare center, often temporary, whereas nursery is more permanent and universal.
Commonly confused with
- nursing home: A nursing home is a residential facility for elderly or disabled people, whereas a nursery is for infants or young plants.
Word family
- nurseries (noun): Plural form of nursery.
Collocations
- day nursery
- nursery school
- nursery rhyme
- plant nursery
Example sentences
- "They spent the weekend painting the nursery a soft shade of green and assembling the new crib." Preparing for a new baby's arrival.
- "We visited the local plant nursery to buy some tomato seedlings and rose bushes for our backyard garden." Buying plants for a garden.
Memory hook
A nursery is a place where you nurse and nurture small things until they grow. Nursery is where we nurture.
When not to use
Do not use nursery to describe a classroom for older children or teenagers.
Fun facts
- The term 'nursery rhyme' was first recorded in the early 19th century; before then, these traditional children's songs were called 'Mother Goose melodies.'
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