foster

Meanings

Plural: fosters

Noun

United States songwriter whose songs embody the sentiment of the South before the American Civil War (1826-1864)
A foster parent.
The care given to another; guardianship.
A forester.

Verb

promote the growth of
- "Foster our children's well-being and education"
bring up under fosterage; of children
help develop, help grow
To nurture or bring up offspring, or to provide similar parental care to an unrelated child.
To promote the development of something; to cultivate and grow a thing.
To nurse or cherish something.
To be nurtured or trained up together.

Adjective Satellite

providing or receiving nurture or parental care though not related by blood or legal ties
- "foster parent"
- "foster child"
- "foster home"

Adj

Providing parental care to children not related to oneself.
Receiving such care.
Related by such care.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English foster, from Old English fōstor (“food, sustenance”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōstr, from Proto-Germanic *fōstrą (“nourishment, food”).
Cognate with Middle Dutch voester (“nursemaid”), Middle Low German vôster (“food”), Old Norse fóstr (“nurturing, education, alimony, child support”), Danish foster (“fetus”), Swedish foster (“fetus”).

Synonyms

further, nurture, Stephen Collins Foster, Stephen Foster, surrogate

Antonyms

hamper

Scrabble Score: 9

foster is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
foster is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
foster is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

foster is a valid Words With Friends word