nourrisson

From Latin nutritio (nourishment, nutrition) via its accusative nutritionem, from nutrire ("to nourish"). At first, norreçon, nuirceon ("education") was a feminine word; (1387) la nourrisson is attested in the sense of "nursing of a child": (16th century) nourriçon takes on its current meaning. It seems that there was an influence of the word nourrice, which explains the change from "ç" to "ss", and from "e" to "i".