Cradle or Cradles may refer to:
*
Cradle (bed)
A cradle is an infant bed which rocks but is non-mobile. It is distinct from a typical bassinet which is a basket-like container on free-standing legs with wheels. A carbonization, carbonized cradle was found in the remains of Herculaneum left fro ...
*
Bassinet
A bassinet, bassinette, or cradle is a bed specifically for babies from birth to about four months. Bassinets are generally designed to work with fixed legs or caster wheels, while cradles are generally designed to provide a rocking or glidi ...
, a small bed, often on rockers, in which babies and small children sleep
Mechanical devices
*
Cradle (circus act), or aerial cradle or casting cradle used in an aerial circus act
*
Cradling (paintings)
Cradling is a process used in the restoration and preservation of paintings on wooden panel. It consists in mounting a grid of wooden slats to the back of a painting to create a reinforcement and preserve the flat paint surface.
Slats in eith ...
, an art restoration technique to stabilise a painting on panel
*
Docking station
In computing, a docking station, port replicator (hub), or dock provides a simplified way to ''plug-in'' a mobile device, such as connect common peripherals to a laptop, or charge a smartphone. Because a wide range of dockable devices—from mo ...
, also known as a cradle for the connection of a mobile device
*
Ship cradle
A ship cradle is a rig designed to hold a ship or boat upright on dry land to allow the vessel to be built or repaired. The vessel is held in place in the cradle by wooden chocks, cables, sand bags or restraining fixtures on the cradle. Ship cra ...
, for supporting a ship when dry docked
*
Grain cradle
A grain cradle or ''cradle'', is a modification to a standard scythe to keep the cut grain stems aligned. The cradle scythe has an additional arrangement of fingers attached to the snaith (snath or snathe) to catch the cut grain so that it can be ...
, an addition to the agricultural scythe to keep the grain stems aligned when mowing
* Neck cradle, a type of
Elizabethan collar
An Elizabethan collar, E collar, buster collar, pet ruff or pet cone (sometimes humorously called a treat funnel, lamp-shade, radar dish, dog-saver, collar cone, or cone of shame) is a protective medical device worn by an animal, usually a cat ...
used to prevent convalescent horses from biting their wounds
*
Newton's cradle
Newton's cradle is a device, usually made of metal, that demonstrates the principles of Momentum, conservation of momentum and conservation of energy in physics with swinging Sphere, spheres.
When one sphere at the end is lifted and released, i ...
, a device that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy via a series of swinging spheres
*
Rocker box, also known as a cradle used in mining to separate gold from alluvium
* Suspended cradle, a platform for accessing the exterior of buildings, used by among others
window cleaner
Window cleaning, or window washing, is the exterior cleaning of architectural glass used for structural, lighting, or decorative purposes. It can be done manually, using a variety of tools for cleaning and access. Technology is also employed and ...
s
*
Slip catching cradle. a device used by cricketers to practice taking catches
A metaphor for humanity's origins
*
Cradle of Humankind
The Cradle of Humankind is a paleoanthropological site that is located about northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Gauteng province. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, the site is home to the largest known concentrat ...
, a World Heritage Site near Johannesburg in South Africa, where many early hominid remains were discovered
*
Cradle of civilization
A cradle of civilization is a location and a culture where civilization was developed independent of other civilizations in other locations. A civilization is any complex society characterized by the development of the state, social strati ...
, any of the various regions regarded as the earliest centers of civilization
*