WEANING

weaning, ablactation

(noun) the act of substituting other food for the mother’s milk in the diet of a child or young mammal

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Verb

weaning

present participle of wean

Noun

weaning (countable and uncountable, plural weanings)

The (passive) process of a child or animal ceasing to be dependent on the mother for nourishment.

Source: Wiktionary

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WEAN

Wean, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Weaned; p. pr. & vb. n. Weaning.] Etym: [OE. wenen, AS. wenian, wennan, to accustom; akin to D. wennen, G. gewöhnen, OHG. giwennan, Icel. venja, Sw. vänja, Dan. vænne, Icel. vanr accustomed, wont; cf. AS. awenian to wean, G. entwöhnen. See Wont, a.]

1. To accustom and reconcile, as a child or other young animal, to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder; to cause to cease to depend on the mother nourishment. And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. Gen. xxi. 8.

2. Hence, to detach or alienate the affections of, from any object of desire; to reconcile to the want or loss of anything. "Wean them from themselves." Shak. The troubles of age were intended . . . to wean us gradually from our fondness of life. Swift.

Wean, n.

Definition: A weanling; a young child. I, being but a yearling wean. Mrs. Browning.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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