nursery

noun

nurs·​ery ˈnər-s(ə-)rē 

plural nurseries

1

obsolete : attentive care : fosterage

2

a

: a child's bedroom

b

: a place where children are temporarily cared for in their parents' absence

c

: day nursery

3

a

: something that fosters, develops, or promotes

b

: a place in which persons are trained or educated

4

: an area where plants are grown for transplanting, for use as stocks for budding and grafting, or for sale

5

: a place where young animals grow or are cared for

Synonyms

• breeding ground
• hotbed
• hothouse
• nest
• nidus
• seedbed
• seminary

Examples of nursery in a Sentence

She still needs to decorate the nursery before the baby comes.

We get our flowers from a local nursery.

Recent Examples on the Web

Because being in the womb sounds like living in a laundromat, having some white noise in the nursery can calm babies. —Marni Jameson, Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2024

Coral reefs serve as nurseries and feeding grounds for thousands of species of fish. —Charles Colgan, The Conversation, 10 June 2024

Enlarge / Messier 78 is a nursery of star formation enveloped in a shroud of interstellar dust. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 24 May 2024

Records of boxwood plantings date back to the 1700s, and Ohio nurseries' boxwood inventory is valued at over $200 million, the blog reports, citing the Ohio Department of Agriculture. —Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 24 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing nursery

• day nursery
• nursery rhyme
• nursery school
• nursery slope

Kids Definition

nursery

noun

nurs·​ery ˈnərs-(ə-)rē 

plural nurseries

1

a

: a child's bedroom

b

: a place where children are temporarily cared for in their parents' absence

2

: a place where plants (as trees or shrubs) are grown for transplanting, for use as stocks in grafting, or for sale

Medical Definition

nursery

noun

nurs·​ery ˈnərs-(ə-)rē 

plural nurseries

: the department of a hospital where newborn infants are cared for