nurse \nurse\ n^urs, n. oe. nourse, nurice, norice, of.
   nurrice, norrice, nourrice, f. nourrice, fr. l. nutricia
   nurse, prop., fem. of nutricius that nourishes; akin to
   nutrix, -icis, nurse, fr. nutrire to nourish. see nourish,
   and cf. nutritious.
   1. one who nourishes; a person who supplies food, tends, or
      brings up; as:
      a a woman who has the care of young children;
          especially, one who suckles an infant not her own.
      b a person, especially a woman, who has the care of the
          sick or infirm.
          1913 webster

   2. one who, or that which, brings up, rears, causes to grow,
      trains, fosters, or the like.
      1913 webster

            the nurse of manly sentiment and heroic enterprise.
                                                  --burke.
      1913 webster

   3. naut. a lieutenant or first officer, who is the real
      commander when the captain is unfit for his place.
      1913 webster

   4. zool.
      a a peculiar larva of certain trematodes which produces
          cercariae by asexual reproduction. see cercaria, and
          redia.
      b either one of the nurse sharks.
          1913 webster

   nurse shark. zool.
      a a large arctic shark somniosus microcephalus,
          having small teeth and feeble jaws; -- called also
          sleeper shark, and ground shark.
      b a large shark ginglymostoma cirratum, native of
          the west indies and gulf of mexico, having the dorsal
          fins situated behind the ventral fins.

   to put to nurse, or to put out to nurse, to send away to
      be nursed; to place in the care of a nurse.

   wet nurse, dry nurse. see wet nurse, and dry nurse,
      in the vocabulary.
      1913 webster
see also:
nourish nutritious cercaria redia nurse shark somniosus microcephalus 
sleeper shark ground shark ginglymostoma cirratum to put to nurse to put out to nurse 
wet nurse dry nurse