wean

Meaning

Verb

1. (transitive) To cease giving breast milk to an offspring; to accustom and reconcile (a child or young animal) to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder.
2. (broadly, often, transitive) To cease giving breast milk to an offspring; to accustom and reconcile (a child or young animal) to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder.
3. (intransitive) To cease to depend on the mother's milk for nutrition.
4. (broadly, transitive) To cause to quit something to which one is addicted, dependent, or habituated.
5. (broadly, intransitive) To cease to depend.
6. (broadly, obsolete, transitive) To raise, to help grow toward maturity

Noun

A young child.

Synonyms

ablactate

wee ’un

alien

👽

alienate

cease

cut off

depart

detox

detoxify

disengage

estrange

gather

give up

halt

harvest

pick

⛏️

pinch

pluck

pull apart

rip off

separate

snap

straggle

tear off

unteach

withdraw

snap off

snip off

divorce

weaning

stop

🛑

be weaned

ablactation

Translations

sevrer

svezzare

entwöhnen

destetar

απογαλακτίζω

desmamar

divezzare

spenen

abstillen

deslletar

desahijar

ontwennen

memeden kesmek

desmamar

soğutmak

Pronounced as (IPA)

/wiːn/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: wenen

Inherited from Old English: wenian

Cognate with Dutch: wennen

Cognate with German: gewöhnen

Cognate with Danish: vænne

Cognate with Swedish: vänja

Cognate with Icelandic: venja

In summary

From Middle English wenen, from Old English wenian (“to accustom; habituate; train; prepare; make fit”), from Proto-West Germanic *wannjan, from Proto-Germanic *wanjaną (“to make wont; accustom”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to strive for; wish; love”).
Cognate with Dutch wennen, German gewöhnen, Danish vænne, Swedish vänja, Icelandic venja. Related via PIE to wone, wont, and wonder, and perhaps win.