To accustom a baby to food other than its mother's milk, or to gradually help someone stop depending on something.
From Old English 'wenian' meaning to accustom or habituate. Related to Old Norse 'venja' and German 'gewöhnen,' all sharing the sense of making someone accustomed to something new. The word's meaning broadened from milk-feeding to any gradual process of separation.
Weaning is nature's way of saying 'you're ready for independence now'—and we use the word to describe any process of breaking dependence, from babies to addiction. Every mammal species has a weaning stage when the mother gradually stops providing milk and the youngster learns to fend for itself. It's such a fundamental life transition that almost every language has a word for it.
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