Swaddle

//ˈswɔdəl// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Anything used to swaddle with, such as a cloth or band.

    "They put me in bed in all my swaddles."

Verb
  1. 1
    To bind (a baby) with long narrow strips of cloth.
  2. 2
    wrap in swaddling clothes wordnet
  3. 3
    To beat; cudgel. archaic

Synonyms

All synonyms
apparelarrayattirebandbandagebedeck

Example

More examples

"She does not know how to swaddle her son."

Etymology

From Middle English swathlen (“to bind; swaddle”), from Middle English swathel, swethel, from Old English swaþul, swæþel, sweþel, sweoþol (“swaddling cloth”), equivalent to swathe (“to wrap with fabric”) + -le (agent/instrumental suffix), the word then underwent th-stopping (its voiced th became a d). Cognate with Middle Dutch swadel (“swaddling; bandage”), Old High German swedili (“poultice”), Old English sweþian, besweþian (“to wrap; swaddle”).

More for "swaddle"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.