Lactare

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Characterizing the process of producing milk in mammals, particularly during lactation, and the act of nursing offspring from the breast
2. Referring to the biological function where female mammals secrete milk to nourish their young, emphasizing maternal care in early life stages
3. Denoting the specific activity of breastfeeding as it relates to the secretion of milk from the mammary glands during nurturing and rearing of infants

Etymology: The Latin verb "lactare" meant "to give milk" or "to suckle," and it came from "lac," "milk," which also gave English words such as "lacteal" and "lactose." Its meaning was not limited to nursing. Latin writers also used it figuratively to mean "to entice" or "to delight," so the root carried a sense of something drawing one in, not just feeding. English took its noun for mammal milk production, "lactation," from the Latin noun "lactatio," which is built on the same verb. The suffix "-ation" marks the process, so the noun names the act or period of producing milk rather than the milk itself.

Synonyms: lactarius, milk-cap mushroom