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Foster
(Fos"ter) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fostered p. pr. & vb. n. Fostering.] [OE. fostren, fr. AS. foster,
fostor, food, nourishment, fr. foda food. &radic75. See Food.]
1. To feed; to nourish; to support; to bring up.
Some say that ravens foster forlorn children. Shak. 2. To cherish; to promote the growth of; to encourage; to sustain and promote; as, to foster genius.
Foster
(Fos"ter), v. i. To be nourished or trained up together. [Obs.] Spenser.
Foster
(Fos"ter), a. [AS. foster, fostor, nourishment. See Foster, v. t.] Relating to nourishment; affording,
receiving, or sharing nourishment or nurture; — applied to father, mother, child, brother, etc., to indicate
that the person so called stands in the relation of parent, child, brother, etc., as regards sustenance and
nurture, but not by tie of blood.
Foster babe, or child, an infant of child nursed by a woman not its mother, or bred by a man not its
father. — Foster brother, Foster sister, one who is, or has been, nursed at the same breast, or
brought up by the same nurse as another, but is not of the same parentage. — Foster dam, one who
takes the place of a mother; a nurse. Dryden. — Foster earth, earth by which a plant is nourished,
though not its native soil. J. Philips. — Foster father, a man who takes the place of a father in caring
for a child. Bacon. — Foster land. (a) Land allotted for the maintenance of any one. [Obs.] (b)
One's adopted country. — Foster lean [foster + AS. læn a loan See Loan.], remuneration fixed for the
rearing of a foster child; also, the jointure of a wife. [Obs.] Wharton. — Foster mother, a woman
who takes a mother's place in the nurture and care of a child; a nurse. — Foster nurse, a nurse; a
nourisher. [R.] Shak. — Foster parent, a foster mother or foster father. — Foster son, a male
foster child.
Foster
(Fos"ter), n. A forester. [Obs.] Spenser.
Fosterage
(Fos"ter*age) n. The care of a foster child; the charge of nursing. Sir W. Raleigh.
Fosterer
(Fos"ter*er) n. One who, or that which, fosters.
Fosterling
(Fos"ter*ling), n. [AS. fostorling.] A foster child.
Fosterment
(Fos"ter*ment) n. Food; nourishment. [Obs.]
Fostress
(Fos"tress) n. [For fosteress.] A woman who feeds and cherishes; a nurse. B. Jonson.
Fother
(Foth"er) n. [OE. fother, foder, AS. foer a cartload; akin to G. fuder a cartload, a unit of measure,
OHG. fuodar, D. voeder, and perh. to E. fathom, or cf. Skr. patra vessel, dish. Cf. Fodder a fother.]
1. A wagonload; a load of any sort. [Obs.]
Of dung full many a fother. Chaucer. 2. See Fodder, a unit of weight.
Fother
(Foth"er), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fothered ; p. pr. & vb. n. Fothering.] [Cf. Fodder food, and
G. füttern, futtern, to cover within or without, to line. &radic75.] To stop (a leak in a ship at sea) by
drawing under its bottom a thrummed sail, so that the pressure of the water may force it into the crack.
Totten.
Fotive
(Fo"tive) a. [L. fovere, fotum, to keep warm, to cherish.] Nourishing. [Obs.] T. Carew
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