swaddle

verb

swad·​dle ˈswä-dᵊl 

swaddled; swaddling

ˈswäd-liŋ,

ˈswä-dᵊl-iŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to wrap (an infant) with swaddling clothes

b

: envelop, swathe

legs swaddled in bandages

2

: restrain, restrict

marriage … swaddled him in a domesticity he came to loathe

—Nina Auerbach

Examples of swaddle in a Sentence

He swaddled the baby in a blanket.

Recent Examples on the Web

The implication of Drake’s observation was undeniable: massive, intense radiation belts swaddled the planet, effectively forming a kill zone for unshielded spacecraft. —Nadia Drake, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2024

Consuelos then laid down and crossed his arms while Ripa, uh, swaddled him in the cloth. —EW.com, 26 Sep. 2024

The 34-year-old actor wore the same swaddling Leset coat in the city on Friday—that time with brown cords by Essentiel Antwerp—before taking her short film, Loser Baby, to TIFF in the very back-to-business combination of blue jeans, a berry manicure and a Gucci monogram blazer, again in brown. —Kerry McDermott, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2024

The collection starts at just $12 and includes pieces to swaddle and cozy up with babies ranging from premature size to 5 years old, plus there’s even a matching robe for mom in two iconic prints seen throughout the collection. —Ariel Scotti, Peoplemag, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English swadelen, swathelen, probably alteration of swedelen, swethelen, from swethel swaddling band, from Old English; akin to Old English swathian to swathe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

swaddle

verb

swad·​dle ˈswäd-ᵊl 

swaddled; swaddling ˈswäd-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

: to wrap an infant with swaddling clothes