Wean Definition

wēn
weaned, weaning, weans
verb
weaned, weaning, weans
To cause (a child or young animal) to become accustomed gradually to food other than its mother's milk; to cause to give up suckling.
Webster's New World
Now, often, to cause to give up drinking milk from a bottle with a nipple.
Webster's New World
To detach from that to which one is strongly habituated or devoted.
She weaned herself from cigarettes.
American Heritage
To withdraw (a person or thing) by degrees (from a dependence on something)
To wean a patient from a ventilator, an addict from heroin, an economy from fossil fuels, etc.
Webster's New World
To accustom to something from an early age. Often used with on:
American Heritage
Synonyms:
noun
weans
A child or baby.
Webster's New World

Origin of Wean

  • Middle English wenen from Old English wenian wen-1 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Blend of wee and ane.

    From Wiktionary

  • Old English wenian.

    From Wiktionary

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