I. ˈkrā-d ə l noun
Etymology: Middle English cradel, from Old English cradol; perhaps akin to Old High German kratto basket, Sanskrit grantha knot
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : a bed or cot for a baby usually on rockers or pivots
b. : a framework or support suggestive of a baby's cradle: as
(1) : a framework of bars and rods
(2) : the support for a telephone receiver or handset
c. : an implement with rods like fingers attached to a scythe and used formerly for harvesting grain
d. : a frame to keep the bedclothes from contact with an injured part of the body
2.
a. : the earliest period of life : infancy
from the cradle to the grave
b. : a place of origin
the cradle of civilization
3. : a rocking device used in panning for gold
II. verb
( cra·dled ; cra·dling ˈkrād-liŋ, ˈkrā-d ə l-iŋ)
Date: 15th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to place or keep in or as if in a cradle
b. : shelter , rear
c. : to support protectively or intimately
cradling the injured man's head in her arms
2. : to cut (grain) with a cradle scythe
3. : to place, raise, support, or transport on a cradle
intransitive verb
obsolete : to rest in or as if in a cradle