To care for someone who is sick or injured, or to hold and feed a baby from the breast.
From Old French 'nourice' (nurse), derived from Latin 'nutrix' (one who nourishes). The '-ed' ending marks it as past tense of a verb meaning to provide care.
Nursing is one of the oldest professions, but it wasn't always medical—'wet nurses' who fed babies for wealthy families created a whole social class, showing how food and care were once completely entangled with class.
Nursing became feminized in the 19th century; 'nursed' carries implicit associations with maternal/feminine caregiving. Male nurses have historically faced bias partly due to gendered language linking the role to motherhood.
Use 'cared for' or 'tended to' for neutral reference. Specify 'nurse' by name or role when gender matters.
["cared for","tended to","treated"]
Florence Nightingale and Sarah Seacole pioneered nursing; the profession's gendering later excluded men from recognition in caregiving roles.
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