To care for and tend to someone, especially the sick or injured. Also means to feed a baby from the breast.
From Old French 'norrice' meaning wet nurse, ultimately from Latin 'nutrire' meaning to nourish or suckle. The meaning evolved from specifically feeding infants to general caregiving by the 14th century.
The word 'nurse' beautifully captures the dual nature of caregiving - both nourishing the body and healing the spirit. Interestingly, the profession was largely informal until Florence Nightingale revolutionized it during the Crimean War, transforming nursing from domestic duty to respected medical practice.
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