Fostering

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Foster \Fos"ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Fostered}, p. pr. & vb.
     n. {Fostering}.] [OE. fostren, fr. AS. f[=o]ster, f[=o]stor,
     food, nourishment, fr. f[=o]da food. [root]75. See {Food}.]
     1. To feed; to nourish; to support; to bring up.
        [1913 Webster]
  


              Some say that ravens foster forlorn children.
                                                    --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To cherish; to promote the growth of; to encourage; to
        sustain and promote; as, to foster genius.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  fostering
       n 1: encouragement; aiding the development of something [syn: {fosterage}]
       2: raising someone to be an accepted member of the community;
          "they debated whether nature or nurture was more
          important" [syn: {breeding}, {bringing up}, {fosterage}, {nurture},
           {raising}, {rearing}, {upbringing}]