cherish

[cher-ish] /ˈtʃɛr ɪʃ/
verb (used with object)
1.
to hold or treat as dear; feel love for:
to cherish one's native land.
2.
to care for tenderly; nurture:
to cherish a child.
3.
to cling fondly or inveterately to:
to cherish a memory.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English cherisshen < Middle French cheriss- (long stem of cherir), equivalent to cher dear (< Latin cārus) + -iss -ish2; akin to charity
Related forms
cherishable, adjective
cherisher, noun
cherishingly, adverb
overcherish, verb (used with object)
overcherished, adjective
uncherished, adjective
uncherishing, adjective
well-cherished, adjective
Synonyms
1, 2. Cherish, foster, harbor imply giving affection, care, or shelter to something. Cherish suggests regarding or treating something as an object of affection or as valuable: to cherish a friendship. Foster implies sustaining and nourishing something with care, especially in order to promote, increase, or strengthen it: to foster a hope; to foster enmity. Harbor suggests giving shelter to or entertaining something undesirable, especially evil thoughts or intentions: to harbor malice or a grudge. 2. nurse, nourish, sustain.
Antonyms
2. neglect. 3. relinquish.
Examples from the web for cherish
  • Hers is the type of art you may cherish as a touchstone of your own private taste.
  • It underestimates the intelligence of readers, stifles dialogue and insults those who cherish the freedom to read and write.
  • It's especially shocking to see it coming from fellow scientists, who supposedly cherish logic and sound reason.
  • cherish any chance you get to learn from the best, and then learn from them.
  • So greatly did he cherish it that he had him repeat it into his ear.
  • He makes plain his belief that such a culture is something to cherish and foster so that it will be more inclusive.
  • We have to cherish our culture and heritage and at the same time be modern.
  • They will cherish both daughters in the context of a miracle that allowed the older to live on and the younger to be born.
  • cherish your precious time together, and let folks know how much they mean to you.
  • Two thousand feet down, coal miners cherish fresh air.
British Dictionary definitions for cherish

cherish

/ˈtʃɛrɪʃ/
verb (transitive)
1.
to show great tenderness for; treasure
2.
to cling fondly to (a hope, idea, etc); nurse: to cherish ambitions
Derived Forms
cherishable, adjective
cherisher, noun
cherishingly, adverb
Word Origin
C14: from Old French cherir, from cher dear, from Latin cārus
Word Origin and History for cherish
v.

early 14c., cherischen, from Old French cheriss-, present participle stem of chierir "to hold dear" (12c., Modern French chérir), from chier "dear," from Latin carus "dear, costly, beloved" (see whore). The Latin word also is the source of Italian, Spanish, Portuguese caro; Old Provençal, Catalan car. Related: Cherished; cherishing.