nanny vs nurse

[keannu]

How is "nurse" different from "nanny"? Is the former a maid who worked both in the kitchen and for the baby, while the latter only taking care of the baby?

14)One of the greatest American hoaxers was P.T. Barnum. In the 1800s, ticketbuyers lined up by the hundreds to see exhibits in Barnum's museum... One was a 161-year-old woman who had been George Washington's nurse!...

 

[MikeNewYork]

How is "nurse" different from "nanny"? Is the former a maid who worked both in the kitchen and for the baby, while the latter only taking care of the baby?

14)One of the greatest American hoaxers was P.T. Barnum. In the 1800s, ticketbuyers lined up by the hundreds to see exhibits in Barnum's museum... One was a 161-year-old woman who had been George Washington's nurse!...

According to the on-line Etymology dictionary, "nanny" entered English usage in 1795. My guess is that the word "nurse" was used for a person who performed the duties of a nanny before that time.

http://www.etymonline.com/

 

[bhaisahab]

Online Etymology Dictionary

 

[emsr2d2]

Some families used to employ a "wet nurse". This was a woman who was employed to breastfeed a new baby even though she was not the baby's mother. See here. I also assume that "nurse" was the original word used for what is now a "nanny". If you watch Blackadder, you will know there is a character called "Nursie" who is described as Queenie's "childhood nurse" which, when you watch the series, does in fact mean she was her nanny.