A child in the earliest stages of infancy, especially one still in a cradle; a very young child.
From 'cradle' (a small bed for infants) + 'child' (a young person). This compound is a descriptive term emphasizing the young age and dependence of the child, suggesting they are still in the cradling stage of development.
Medieval and Renaissance paintings used the term 'cradlechild' to emphasize the vulnerability and innocence of very young subjects—it carried emotional weight that just 'baby' or 'infant' couldn't match.
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