noun
cradle
KRAY-duhl
noun
1
A small bed for a baby that rocks or swings gently.
"She rocked the cradle until the baby fell asleep."
"The antique wooden cradle had been in the family for generations."
2
The place or time where something began and was nurtured early on.
"Mesopotamia is often called the cradle of civilization."
"The garage was the cradle of the company's first products."
verb
1
To hold something gently and protectively, as if rocking a baby.
"He cradled the injured bird in his hands."
"She cradled her phone between her ear and shoulder while typing."
How to Use Cradle
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA baby's rocking bed, or — more broadly — the place something began; as a verb, to hold something tenderly.
Common pairings
rock the cradle
cradle of civilization
cradle a baby
Word Forms
cradled past tense, cradles plural, cradles singular
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Etymology
From Old English cradol, related to a Germanic root for a wicker basket — the same family as the word "cart".