Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cherish

/ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.52 in modern English

Syllables
cher-ish
IPA
/ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/
15
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To treat with affection, care, and tenderness; to nurture or protect with care.

verb

To have a deep appreciation of; to hold dear.

verb

To cheer, to gladden.

Obsolete

name

A female given name.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English charish, cherishen (“to have affection for, hold dear, treat kindly; to esteem, respect; to cherish; to take care of; to greet; to entertain, treat hospitably; to cheer; to encourage, incite”), from Old French cheriss-, chieriss-, extended stem of cherir, chierir (“to cherish”) (modern French chérir (“to cherish”)), from cher, chier (“dear, dearest”) (from Latin cārus (“beloved, dear”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- (“to desire, wish”)) + -ir (suffix forming infinitives of second conjugation verbs).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *keh₂-, charish, cārus

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/
  • British English: /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce cherish?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/.
What does cherish mean?
To treat with affection, care, and tenderness; to nurture or protect with care.
Where does cherish come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce cherish

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cherish”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “cherish”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “cherish” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.