suckle
suckle Lexical Profile
suckle Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To feed a baby or young mammal with milk from the breast or udder.
"The lioness retreated to a quiet den to suckle her newborn cubs."
To draw milk from the breast or udder (of an infant or young mammal).
"The foals began to suckle within an hour of being born."
To bring up, rear, or nurture in a particular environment or belief system.
"He was a poet suckled on the classical traditions of ancient Greece."
• noun
The act of nursing or drawing milk from the breast or udder.
"The newborn calf grew stronger after its first suckle from its mother."
Word Nuance & Usage
Traditionally, a mother 'suckles' her offspring, while the young 'suck'; however, in modern usage, 'suckle' is widely accepted for both the mother giving milk and the young drawing it.
• Rhymes for suckle
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English sokelen, a frequentative formation from soken ('to suck'), from Old English sucan, or a back-formation from the noun suckling.