nutrix

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈnuː.triːks]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈnuː.triks]^[1]

Forms

nūtrīx f (genitive nūtrīcis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *(s)noutrī, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sneu-tr-ih₂- (“female nurser”), from a root *sneu- “to flow, give milk”.^[2][1] Cognate with Sanskrit प्रस्नौति (prá-snauti, “lets flow”) and Sanskrit प्रस्नुत (prá-snuta-, “giving milk”).^[2][3] The verb nūtriō “to suckle, nourish” was made from *noutrī before it took the suffix *-k-; the old spelling noutrix is found in an inscription.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Plautus, whose two little girls were stolen along with their nurse.^[2][4][3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It was a child's nurse, especially a wet nurse, as Cicero compares teachers who put tiny morsels into pupils' mouths to nurses feeding infants.^[3][5] A country could be the nurse of animals, as Horace's Africa, the dry nurse of lions, and figuratively it was what fosters a feeling, as Ovid's night, the greatest nurse of cares.^[3]

Medieval writers distinguished wet and dry nurses.^[6] Late Latin *nūtrīcia gave Old French norrice and English nurse about 1200, and nūtrīre gave English nourish and English nutrient.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus speaks of girls stolen with their nurse.^[3][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero compares teachers to nurses.^[5][4]
• 65–8 BC – Horace calls Africa the nurse of lions.^[3][4]
• c. 1200 – English nurse is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A nurse, wet nurse.^[3]
2. (of a country) A breeder, rearer (of animals).^[3]
3. (figurative) That which fosters.^[3]

Word family

• nūtrīcius
• nūtrīcula

Related words

• nūbēs
• nurus
• nūtriō
• English nourish
• English nutrient

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com