cher´ish|ing|ly

cher|ish «CHEHR ihsh», transitive verb.

1. to hold dear; treat with tenderness; aid or protect: »

A mother cherishes her baby. Cherish those hearts that hate thee (Shakespeare).

2. Figurative. to keep in the mind; cling to: »

The old woman cherished the hope of her son's return.

3. to keep or guard carefully.

╂[< Old French cheriss-, stem of cherir < cher dear < Latin cārus]

–cher´ish|a|ble, adjective.

–cher´ish|er, noun.

–cher´ish|ing|ly, adverb.

Synonym Study 2 Cherish, foster, harbor, when applied to an idea or feeling, mean to keep it in mind and care for it. Cherish implies treasuring it and watching over it with loving care: »

to cherish memories of college days, to cherish affection for someone.

Foster suggests nourishing an idea or feeling, and helping it to grow: »

to foster tolerance, to foster sentiments of patriotism.

Harbor suggests letting in an idea or feeling even though it is bad, and brooding over it: »

to harbor resentment, to harbor sinister designs.