fostrare

Fostrare is an Italian verb that occurs in a limited set of historical or regional sources with the sense of "to foster" or "to bring up with care." In modern standard Italian, the welfare and upbringing of a child are typically expressed with verbs such as accudire, allevare, affidare, or adottare, rather than fostrare. As a result, fostrare is generally considered archaic, dialectal, or rare in contemporary usage.

Etymology and attestations: The origin of fostrare is not firmly established. Some linguists treat it as a calque from English foster used in translations or social-welfare discourse in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Others view it as a genuine regional form whose precise history remains unclear. It has no place in standard modern dictionaries.

Usage today: Documents in which fostrare appears are primarily historical texts, regional glossaries, or occasional translations. When used, it often conveys a sense of antiquated or dialectal language rather than a current term. In official or formal writing about foster care, Italian would typically employ affidare, adottare, or accudire.

See also: foster care, affidamento, adottare, accudire, allevare.