foster

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈfɔ.stɚ/ UK /ˈfɒs.tə/ See IPA manual

Freq #3384

Meanings

1

verb
To encourage the development or growth of something.

Our company fosters an appreciation for the arts.
2

verb
To take care of a child as a parent for a time, without being its legal parent.

They decided to foster a child while waiting to adopt.
3

adj
Giving or receiving parental care without being related by blood.

His foster parents raised him from the age of five.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 adj · giving or receiving... surrogate

Opposites

hamper

Word family

Forms fosteredfosteringfostersunfostered

Derived forms cofosteredcross-fosterfoster-childfosterablefosteragefostererfosteressfosterhoodfosteringfosteringlyfosterlingfosterment

Appears in

Phrases (1)

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Simplified etymology

Foster is an Old English word related to food and fodder. Its original sense was “feed” or “nourish.”

Etymology

From Middle English foster, from Old English fōstor (“food, sustenance”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōstr, from Proto-Germanic *fōstrą (“nourishment, food”). Cognate with Middle Dutch voester (“nursemaid”), Middle Low German vôster (“food”), Old Norse fóstr (“nurturing, education, alimony, child support”), Danish foster (“fetus”), Swedish foster (“fetus”).

*peh₂- Proto-Indo-European foster Middle English fostor Old English *fōstr Proto-West Germanic *fōstrą Proto-Germanic

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Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# foster

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** verb, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈfɔ.stɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈfɒs.tə/
**Frequency rank:** 3384

## Meanings
1. To encourage the development or growth of something.
2. To take care of a child as a parent for a time, without being its legal parent.
3. Giving or receiving parental care without being related by blood.

## Examples
- Our company fosters an appreciation for the arts.
- They decided to foster a child while waiting to adopt.
- His foster parents raised him from the age of five.

## Antonyms
- hamper

## Derived Forms
- cofostered
- cross-foster
- foster-child
- fosterable
- fosterage
- fosterer
- fosteress
- fosterhood
- fostering
- fosteringly
- fosterling
- fosterment

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *peh₂-
- Root: foster
- Root: fostor
- Root: *fōstr
- Root: *fōstrą

## Etymology
From Middle English foster, from Old English fōstor (“food, sustenance”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōstr, from Proto-Germanic *fōstrą (“nourishment, food”). Cognate with Middle Dutch voester (“nursemaid”), Middle Low German vôster (“food”), Old Norse fóstr (“nurturing, education, alimony, child support”), Danish foster (“fetus”), Swedish foster (“fetus”).

## AI Etymology
Foster comes from Middle English foster, from Old English fōstor (“food, sustenance”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōstr, from Proto-Germanic *fōstrą (“nourishment, food”). Cognate with Middle Dutch voester (“nursemaid”), Middle Low German vôster (“food”), Old Norse fóstr (“nurturing, education, alimony, child support”), Danish foster (“fetus”), Swedish foster (“fetus”). The historical chain includes *peh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), foster (Middle English), fostor (Old English), *fōstr (Proto-West Germanic), and *fōstrą (Proto-Germanic). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as cofostered, cross-foster, foster-child, and fosterable. In present use it covers to encourage the development or growth of something, to take care of a child as a parent for a time, without being its legal parent, and giving or receiving parental care without being related by blood.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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