This verb means to rear or raise children, emphasizing the nurturing process beyond mere birth. In 1 Timothy 5:10, it appears in the qualifications for widows to receive church support: 'if she has raised children' among other good works. The term includes the full spectrum of parenting—feeding, training, nurturing to maturity. Classical usage included both human and animal rearing. The cross-linguistic evidence confirms the nurturing emphasis: Spanish 'crió hijos' (raised children), German 'Kinder aufziehen' (bring up children). This is formative care, not just biological production.