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2 definitions found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Wean \Wean\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Weaned}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Weaning}.] [OE. wenen, AS. wenian, wennan, to accustom; akin
to D. wennen, G. gew["o]hnen, OHG. giwennan, Icel. venja, Sw.
v["a]nja, Dan. v[ae]nne, Icel. vanr accustomed, wont; cf. AS.
[=a]wenian to wean, G. entw["o]hnen. See {Wont}, adjective]
1. To accustom and reconcile, as a child or other young
animal, to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take
from the breast or udder; to cause to cease to depend on
the mother nourishment.
And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made
a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
--Gen. xxi. 8.
2. Hence, to detach or alienate the affections of, from any
object of desire; to reconcile to the want or loss of
anything. ''Wean them from themselves.'' --Shak.
The troubles of age were intended . . . to wean us
gradually from our fondness of life. --Swift.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
weaned
adjective: freed of dependence on something especially (for mammals)
mother's milk; "the just-weaned calf bawled for its
mother" [ant: {unweaned}]
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