wean
wean
UK[wiːn]US[wiːn]
v
To accustom (a young mammal) to food other than its mother's milk.
v
To make someone stop doing or using something that they have been dependent on, especially a habit or an addiction.
Etymology
The word 'wean' originates from the Old English wenian, which carried the broader sense of "to accustom" or "to train." This verb is derived from the Proto-Germanic wanjaną, a causative formation from the root weniz, meaning "to wish, to desire, to be satisfied." The semantic journey is logical: the process of weaning involves training an infant to be satisfied with and accustomed to new food, moving away from the desire for its mother's milk. Over time, its meaning narrowed specifically to the cessation of breastfeeding before expanding metaphorically to describe breaking any deep-seated dependency.
Analysis
This is a simplex word of Old English origin. The core element is the Old English verb wenian, meaning "to accustom, to train, to wean."
Examples
She began to wean her baby onto solid foods at six months.
He tried to wean himself off caffeine by drinking herbal tea.
The program aims to wean farmers off harmful chemical pesticides.