Main Entry:

²cradle

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

cra·dled; cra·dling \ˈkrād-liŋ, ˈkrā-d^əl-iŋ\

Date:

15th century

transitive verb1 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 scythe3: to place, raise, support, or transport on a cradleintransitive verbobsolete : to rest in or as if in a cradle