Link Centre Dictionary

cradle

UK/ˈkɹeɪdəl/ US/ˈkreɪdʌl/ fairly common
verb (6) noun (4)

verb

1.

hold gently and carefully

  • “He cradles the child in his arms”
2.

bring up from infancy

3.

hold or place in or as if in a cradle

  • “He cradled the infant in his arms”
4.
5.

wash in a cradle

  • “cradle gold”
6.

run with the stick

noun

1.

a baby bed with sides and rockers

2.

where something originated or was nurtured in its early existence

  • “the birthplace of civilization”
Synonyms
3.

birth of a person

  • “he was taught from the cradle never to cry”
4.

a trough on rockers used by gold miners to shake earth in water in order to separate the gold

Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English cradel, credel, from Old English cradol, from Proto-West Germanic *kradul, from Proto-Germanic *kradulaz, from Proto-Germanic *kradô (“(wicker) basket”). Related to cart.

Phrases

  • cat's cradle Terms derived from cradle (noun)
  • cradle cap Terms derived from cradle (noun)
  • cradle crust Terms derived from cradle (noun)
  • cradle hole Terms derived from cradle (noun)
  • cradle leg Terms derived from cradle (noun)
  • cradle of civilization Terms derived from cradle (noun)
  • cradle robber Terms derived from cradle (noun)
  • cradle snatch Terms derived from cradle (noun)

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.