Plural: nurtures → fosterings, upbringings, raisings, trainings…
Past participle: nurtured
e.g. nurtured → raised, educated, edified, parented…

Choose the right word

Nurture or Educate?

To nurture is to furnish the care and sustenance necessary for physical, mental, and moral growth; nurture is a more tender and homelike word than educate.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

parent I met the children whose parent has gotten better.
educate Both parents and teachers educate their children.
edify Good books can edify the mind as well as entertain it.
encourage You often encourage me to be good and hardworking.
nourish The role of the placenta is to nourish the foetus.
foster Yanni moved around from foster home to foster home.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
nurture		rising
parent		steady
educate		rising
edify		rising
encourage		steady
nourish		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: care¹, food¹, grow¹, feed¹, tend¹, rear¹
5 letters: train¹, raise¹, nurse¹, breed¹, edify³
6 letters: school¹, parent², foster²
7 letters: support², culture², promote², raising², educate³, sustain², cherish², rearing², nourish²
8 letters: training², breeding², instruct²
9 letters: education⁴, encourage³, entertain³, cultivate³, fostering³, fosterage
10 letters: discipline³, upbringing³, sustenance³
11 letters: nourishment³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (edify³ = 3 syllables).

In other languages

Français: alimenter
Italiano: alimentare
Español: alimentar
Deutsch: beköstigen