noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈsʌk.əl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ʌkəl
CMU ARPABET:S AH1 K AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A teat.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
An act of suckling
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The baby was having a suckle at its mother's breast.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To give suck to; to nurse at the breast, udder, or dugs.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To nurse; to suck milk from a nursing mother.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To nurse from (a breast, nursing mother, etc.).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
give suck to
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
The wetnurse suckled the infant
You cannot nurse your baby in public in some places
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: breastfeed, suck, nurse, wet-nurse, lactate, give suck
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: feed, give
7
verb
Meaning 7
suck milk from the mother's breasts
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the infant was suckling happily
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: feed, eat
History
Etymology
From Middle English sukelen; probably a back-formation of Middle English sukeling (“a suckling; infant”), formally equivalent to suck + -le (frequentative suffix). See suckling.
Across languages
Translations
86 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
رَضَّعَ
(raḍḍaʕa)
— to give suck to
Arabic:
رضع
(raḍaʕ)
— to give suck to
Aromanian:
alãptedz
— to give suck to
Bulgarian:
кърмя
(kǎrmja)
— to give suck to
Catalan:
alletar
— to give suck to
Chinese Mandarin:
餵奶 /喂奶
(wèinǎi)
— to give suck to
Chinese Mandarin:
哺乳
(bǔrǔ)
— to give suck to
Chinese Mandarin:
母乳餵養 /母乳喂养
(mǔrǔ wèiyǎng)
— to give suck to
Czech:
kojit
— to give suck to
Dutch:
zogen
— to give suck to
Esperanto:
mamnutri
— to give suck to
Finnish:
imettää
— to give suck to
French:
allaiter
— to give suck to
Friulian:
latâ
— to give suck to
German:
stillen
— to give suck to
German:
säugen
— to give suck to
Gothic:
𐌳𐌰𐌳𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽
(daddjan)
— to give suck to
Greek:
θηλάζω
(thilázo)
— to give suck to
Ancient Greek:
θηλάζω
(thēlázō)
— to give suck to
Hebrew:
הֵינִיק
(hēníq)
— to give suck to
Hungarian:
szoptat
— to give suck to
Ido:
alaktar
— to give suck to
Ido:
mamsugar
— to give suck to
Indonesian:
menyusui
— to give suck to
Irish:
tál
— to give suck to
Italian:
allattare
— to give suck to
Japanese:
授乳する
(junyū suru)
— to give suck to
Khmer:
បំបៅ
(bɑmbaw)
— to give suck to
Ladino:
alechar
— to give suck to
Latin:
nūtriō
— to give suck to
Latvian:
zīdīt
— to give suck to
Macedonian:
дои
(doi)
— to give suck to
Māori:
whakangotengote
— to give suck to
Māori:
whakangote
— to give suck to
Occitan:
alachar
— to give suck to
Occitan:
alaitar
— to give suck to
Occitan:
far popar
— to give suck to
Occitan:
atessar
— to give suck to
Old Church Slavonic:
доити
(doiti)
— to give suck to
Polish:
karmić mlekiem
— to give suck to
Polish:
wykarmić
— to give suck to
Portuguese:
amamentar
— to give suck to
Romani:
chuchi del
— to give suck to
Romanian:
alăpta
— to give suck to
Russian:
корми́ть гру́дью
(kormítʹ grúdʹju)
— to give suck to
Russian:
вска́рмливать
(vskármlivatʹ)
— to give suck to
Serbo-Croatian:
до̀јити
— to give suck to
Serbo-Croatian:
dòjiti
— to give suck to
Spanish:
amamantar
— to give suck to
Swedish:
amma
— to give suck to
Swedish:
dia
— to give suck to
Swedish:
dägga
— to give suck to
Turkish:
emzirmek
— to give suck to
Turkish:
meme vermek
— to give suck to
Vietnamese:
mút
— to give suck to
Vietnamese:
bú
— to give suck to
Volapük:
sügön
— to give suck to
Volapük:
nimafön
— to give suck to
Yiddish:
זייגן
(zeygn)
— to give suck to
Arabic:
رَضِعَ
(raḍiʕa)
— to nurse; to suck
Bulgarian:
бозая
(bozaja)
— to nurse; to suck
Dutch:
zuigen
— to nurse; to suck
Finnish:
imeä
— to nurse; to suck
French:
téter
— to nurse; to suck
German:
saugen
— to nurse; to suck
Greek:
θηλάζω
(thilázo)
— to nurse; to suck
Greek:
βυζαίνω
(vyzaíno)
— to nurse; to suck
Ancient Greek:
θηλάζω
(thēlázō)
— to nurse; to suck
Hebrew:
יָנַק
(yanáq)
— to nurse; to suck
Indonesian:
menyusu
— to nurse; to suck
Irish:
diúl
— to nurse; to suck
Old Irish:
ibid
— to nurse; to suck
Italian:
poppare
— to nurse; to suck
Latin:
nūtriō
— to nurse; to suck
Latvian:
zīst
— to nurse; to suck
Macedonian:
дои
(doi)
— to nurse; to suck
Māori:
whāngote
— to nurse; to suck
Occitan:
mamar
— to nurse; to suck
Occitan:
popar
— to nurse; to suck
Portuguese:
mamar
— to nurse; to suck
Romanian:
suge
— to nurse; to suck
Russian:
соса́ть грудь
(sosátʹ grudʹ)
— to nurse; to suck