Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Foster"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Some say that ravens foster forlorn children.
--Shak.

2. To cherish; to promote the growth of; to encourage; to
sustain and promote; as, to foster genius.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

{Foster} {babe, or child}, an infant of child nursed by a
woman not its mother, or bred by a man not its father.

{Foster brother}, {Foster sister}, one who is, or has been,
nursed at the same breast, or brought up by the same nurse
as another, but is not of the same parentage.

{Foster dam}, one who takes the place of a mother; a nurse.
--Dryden.

{Foster earth}, earth by which a plant is nourished, though
not its native soil. --J. Philips.

{ Foster father}, a man who takes the place of a father in
caring for a child. --Bacon.

{Foster land}.
(a) Land allotted for the maintenance of any one. [Obs.]
(b) One's adopted country.

{Foster lean} [foster + AS. l[ae]n a loan See {Loan}.],
remuneration fixed for the rearing of a foster child;
also, the jointure of a wife. [Obs.] --Wharton.

{Foster mother}, a woman who takes a mother's place in the
nurture and care of a child; a nurse.

{Foster nurse}, a nurse; a nourisher. [R.] --Shak.

{Foster parent}, a foster mother or foster father.

{Foster son}, a male foster child.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup