cra·dle (kr d l)n. 1. A small low bed for an infant, often furnished with rockers. 2. a. The earliest period of life: had an interest in music almost from the cradle. b. A place of origin; a birthplace: the cradle of civilization. 3. a. A framework of wood or metal used to support something, such as a ship undergoing construction or repair. b. A framework used to protect an injured limb. 4. A low flat framework that rolls on casters, used by a mechanic working beneath an automobile. Also called creeper. 5. The part of a telephone that contains the connecting switch upon which the receiver and mouthpiece unit is supported. 6. a. A frame projecting above a scythe, used to catch grain as it is cut so that it can be laid flat. b. A scythe equipped with such a frame. 7. A boxlike device furnished with rockers, used for washing gold-bearing dirt. v. cra·dled, cra·dling, cra·dles v.tr. 1. a. To place or retain in or as if in a cradle. b. To care for or nurture in infancy. c. To hold or support protectively: cradled the cat in his arms. 2. To reap (grain) with a cradle. 3. To place or support (a ship, for example) in a cradle. 4. To wash (gold-bearing dirt) in a cradle. v.intr. Obsolete To lie in or as if in a cradle. [Middle English cradel, from Old English.] cra dler n. |
cradling [ˈkreɪdlɪŋ]
n
(Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) Architect a framework of iron or wood, esp as used in the construction of a ceiling
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