cherish

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈtʃɛrɪʃ/ UK /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/ See IPA manual

Freq #8853

Meanings

1

verb
To love and care about someone or something very much.

I will always cherish the memories of our trip together.
2

verb
To care for someone or something tenderly and protect them.

They cherished their newborn baby and barely let her out of their sight.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to love and care about... treasure valuehold dearprize appreciate esteem

Word family

Forms cherishescherishing

Derived forms cherishablecherished cherishercherishingcherishinglycherishlycherishmentovercherishuncherished

Related forms caress

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

cherish a moment
to hold a moment in warm and lasting memory

Verb + noun

Etymology

From Middle English charish, cherishen (“to have affection for, hold dear, treat kindly; to esteem, respect; to cherish; to take care of; to greet; to entertain, treat hospitably; to cheer; to encourage, incite”), from Old French cheriss-, chieriss-, extended stem of cherir, chierir (“to cherish”) (modern French chérir (“to cherish”)), from cher, chier (“dear, dearest”) (from Latin cārus (“beloved, dear”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- (“to desire, wish”)) + -ir (suffix forming infinitives of second conjugation verbs).

*keh₂- Proto-Indo-European charish Middle English cārus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# cherish

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈtʃɛrɪʃ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/
**Frequency rank:** 8853

## Meanings
1. To love and care about someone or something very much.
2. To care for someone or something tenderly and protect them.

## Examples
- I will always cherish the memories of our trip together.
- They cherished their newborn baby and barely let her out of their sight.

## Derived Forms
- cherishable
- cherished
- cherisher
- cherishing
- cherishingly
- cherishly
- cherishment
- overcherish
- uncherished

## Related Forms
- caress

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *keh₂-
- Root: charish
- Root: cārus

## Etymology
From Middle English charish, cherishen (“to have affection for, hold dear, treat kindly; to esteem, respect; to cherish; to take care of; to greet; to entertain, treat hospitably; to cheer; to encourage, incite”), from Old French cheriss-, chieriss-, extended stem of cherir, chierir (“to cherish”) (modern French chérir (“to cherish”)), from cher, chier (“dear, dearest”) (from Latin cārus (“beloved, dear”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- (“to desire, wish”)) + -ir (suffix forming infinitives of second conjugation verbs).

## AI Etymology
cherish is a verb and name. It is from Middle English charish, cherishen (“to have affection for, hold dear, treat kindly; to esteem, respect; to cherish; to take care of; to greet; to entertain, treat hospitably; to cheer; to encourage, incite”), from Old French cheriss-, chieriss-, extended stem of cherir, chierir (“to cherish”) (modern French chérir (“to cherish”)), from cher, chier (“dear, dearest”) (from Latin cārus (“beloved, dear”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- (“to desire, wish”)) + -ir (suffix forming infinitives of second conjugation verbs). Historical forms in the chain include *keh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), charish (Middle English), and cārus (Latin). Current senses include to love and care about someone or something very much and to care for someone or something tenderly and protect them. Derived forms include cherishable, cherished, cherisher, cherishing, and cherishingly. Related words include caress.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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