Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nursery

/ˈnɝsəɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.89 in modern English

Syllables
nurs-e-ry
IPA
/ˈnɝsəɹi/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.

British usage; Countable; Uncountable

noun

A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.

Countable

noun

A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Something which educates and nurtures.

Countable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English noricerie, norserye (“children's nursery; state of being fostered or nursed; education, upbringing”) [and other forms], from Old French norricerie, nourricerie, from norrice, nourrice (modern French nourrice (“childminder, nanny; wet nurse”)) + -erie (suffix forming feminine nouns). Norrice and nourrice are derived from Late Latin nūtrīcia (“wet nurse”), from Latin nūtrīcius (“that nurses or suckles; nourishing”), from nūtriō (“to breastfeed, nurse, suckle”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- (“to flow”). The English word may be analysed as nourice, nurse + -ery (suffix forming nouns meaning ‘place of’).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *(s)neh₂-, noricerie, norricerie, nūtrīcia, nūtrīcius
  • Suffix: ery

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈnɝsəɹi/
  • British English: /ˈnɜːsəɹi/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce nursery?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnɝsəɹi/.
What does nursery mean?
A place where nursing (“breastfeeding”) or the raising of children is carried on.
Where does nursery come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce nursery

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