For a mother (usually animal) to feed a young one with milk from the breast; to nurse.
From Middle English 'soukle' or 'suclen,' possibly from Old English 'sucan' meaning 'to suck.' Related to 'suck' and ultimately from Germanic roots.
Suckling is one of the most fundamental behaviors in mammal evolution—it's how mothers transfer antibodies and nutrients to babies, and the word itself comes from the sound and action of nursing, making it linguistically ancient and universal.
Historically gendered as motherhood-exclusive, reinforcing women's biological role while erasing nursing as a human parenting practice.
Use 'breastfeed' or 'nurse' (both gender-neutral when describing infant feeding by any parent) or 'feed at the breast' for anatomical clarity.
["breastfeed","nurse","feed at the breast"]
Recognize that nursing is performed across gender identities; language should reflect parents' agency rather than essentialist assumptions.
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