swaddling clothes

plural noun

1
: narrow strips of cloth wrapped around an infant to restrict movement
2
: limitations or restrictions imposed on the immature or inexperienced

Examples of swaddling clothes in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is pure prosecco fun from a family that has been making wine in Italy since Mary Queen of Scots was in swaddling clothes. Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 15 Jan. 2022 Jesus’ swaddling clothes prefigure his freeing us from death’s winding sheets. Alexandra Mullen, WSJ, 23 Dec. 2020 Yet in every variation the meaning shone through, as durable as a soul, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Patricia Lockwood, The New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swaddling clothes was in 1526

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Cite this Entry

“Swaddling clothes.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swaddling%20clothes. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.

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