Nursed (6)
I believe the answer is:
tended
'nursed' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for tended that I've seen before include "Had leaning toward, or looke after" , "Was prone to" , "Took care of, had certain inclination" , "Cared for or looked after" , "Was inclined to have taken care of" .)