CRADLE


Meaning of CRADLE in English

I. cra ‧ dle 1 /ˈkreɪdl/ BrE AmE noun

[ Language: Old English ; Origin: cradol ]

1 . [countable] a small bed for a baby, especially one that moves gently from side to side ⇨ cot :

She rocked the cradle to quieten the child.

2 . the cradle of something formal the place where something important began:

Athens is often regarded as the cradle of democracy.

3 . from (the) cradle to (the) grave all through your life:

From cradle to grave, the car marks every rite of American passage.

4 . [singular] the beginning of something:

Like most Catholic children, he had heard stories of Ireland from the cradle.

5 . [countable] a structure that is used to lift something heavy up or down:

a window-cleaner’s cradle

6 . [countable] the part of a telephone where you put the ↑ receiver when you are not using it:

She replaced the receiver on the cradle.

⇨ CAT’S CRADLE , ⇨ rob the cradle at ↑ rob (5)

II. cradle 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]

1 . to hold something gently, as if to protect it:

John cradled the baby in his arms.

2 . to hold a telephone ↑ receiver by putting it between your ear and your shoulder:

She hunched over the desk, telephone cradled at her neck.

• • •

THESAURUS

▪ hug ( also give somebody a hug ) to put your arms around someone and hold them tightly to show love or friendship:

Mother hugged him and tucked him into bed.

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Come here and give me a big hug.

▪ embrace to put your arms around someone and hold him or her in a caring way. Embrace is more formal than hug :

Jason warmly embraced his son.

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The two leaders embraced each other.

▪ cuddle to put your arms around someone or something as a sign of love, especially a child or a small animal:

She sat on a chair, cuddling her daughter.

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He cuddled the puppy.

▪ put your arms around somebody to hold someone closely to your body, especially to comfort them or show that you love them:

The woman put her arms around the sobbing boy.

▪ cradle written to hold someone very gently in your arms, like you would hold a baby:

She held the baby in her arms.

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She cradled his head in her hands and kissed him on the forehead

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.