[f. FOSTER v. + -ING1.]
1. The action of the vb. FOSTER in various senses.
c. 1230. Hali Meid., 33. Jn his fostrenge forð, moni arm hwile.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 6112.
| In Gile & in Ipocrisie, | |
| That me engendred & yaf fostryng. |
1447. Bokenham, Seyntys, Introd. (Roxb.).
| Of seynt Margrete, aftyr the story, | |
| The byrthe, the fostryng, and how she cam | |
| Fyrst to the feyth and sythe to martrydam. |
1548. Hall, Chron., Edw. IV. (an. 13), 225 b. For the long mainteinyng, and fosteryng of Queue Margarete, and her soonne Prince Edwarde.
1885. Athenæum, 3 Oct. 441/2. Far from looking to the State for help, we suspect that the best thing that could happen would be the withdrawal of such official and quasi-official fostering as architecture already has.
b. = FOSTERAGE 2. Obs. exc. Hist.
1596. Spenser, State Irel. Wks. (Globe), 638/1. The chiefest cause of the bringing in of the Irish language, amongest them, was specially theyr fostring, and marrying with the Irish, the which are two most daungerous infections.
1612. Davies, Why Ireland, etc. (1787), 135. In the opinion of this [the Irish] people fostering hath always been a stronger alliance than blood.
1817. Hallam, Const. Hist. (1876), III. xviii. 354. They [the English settlers] intermarried with the Irish; they connected themselves with them by the national custom of fostering, which formed an artificial relationship of the strictest nature.
2. concr. Food, nourishment, sustenance.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Sompn. T., 137.
| I am a man of litel sustenaunce. | |
| My spirit hath his fostring in the Bible. |
