wet nurse
/ˈwɛt nɜrs/
verb
- To breastfeed another woman's baby.
- She agreed to wet-nurse her sister's baby while her sister recovered from illness.
- In some cultures, women would wet-nurse each other's children in times of need.
- The woman was paid to wet-nurse the infant for the first six months.
- To treat someone with excessive care or indulgence, as if they were a baby.
- Stop wet-nursing your grown son; he needs to handle his own problems.
- The coach was accused of wet-nursing the star player, giving him special treatment.
- The manager tends to wet-nurse new employees instead of letting them learn on their own.
Synonyms
noun
- A woman employed to breastfeed another woman's baby.
- Some historical records show that wet-nurses were common in royal households.
- The wet-nurse cared for the newborn as if it were her own child.
- In the 18th century, wealthy families often hired a wet-nurse to feed their infants.