1. To provide care for an afflicted person: After Jack fell down, he was nursed back to health by his wife who helped him every way she could.
2. To breastfeed a baby: After giving birth to her son, Hana was nursing little Finn for six months, knowing that her milk was the best for him.
3. To carefully treat someone or something: Dianne always nursed her roses in the front yard and fertilized them on a regular basis and that is why they are so beautiful.

The process by which patients are helped by someone who is trained to be concerned about them and to aid them in recovering from an illness or an injury, or to regain as much physical independence as possible: Those who are trained in nursing care are often more interested in the patient's overall reactions to the ailment than with the medical problem itself and they are devoted to the control of physical pain, the relief of mental suffering, and, when possible, the avoidance of any complications.

A residential facility for the care of elderly people or, in some cases, for people who have serious illnesses or disabilities: Approximately 50% of residents in nursing homes are demented and most suffer from a number of medical conditions related to aging.

The ideal nursing home is well equipped with registered nurses, as well as nurses' aides, has regular visits from a physician, provides access to advanced medical care facilities, and is closely linked, both organizationally and geographically, to community hospitals.