Swaddle Definition

swŏdl
swaddled, swaddles, swaddling
verb
swaddled, swaddles, swaddling
To wrap, as in cloth.
He stood on the sidewalk, swaddled in a blanket.
American Heritage
To wrap (a newborn baby) in swaddling clothes, a blanket, etc., as to calm it.
Webster's New World
To bind in or as in bandages; swathe.
Webster's New World

(archaic) To beat; cudgel.

Wiktionary
noun
A cloth, bandage, etc. used for swaddling.
Webster's New World

Origin of Swaddle

  • Middle English swadlen probably back-formation from swadling (band) swaddling (cloth), or swathelbonde both from swathelen probably frequentative of Old English swathian to swathe

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • swathe (“to wrap with fabric") +"Ž -le (frequentative), the word then underwent th-stopping (its voiced th became a d).

    From Wiktionary

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