Word of the Day for Friday, December 23, 2011

swaddle \SWOD-l\, verb: 1. To bind an infant with long, narrow strips of cloth to prevent free movement. 2. To wrap (anything) round with bandages. noun:
1. A long, narrow strip of cloth used for swaddling or bandaging.

A child is our natural company; it is a delight to us to make a fright of it, to fondle it, to swaddle it, to dress and undress it, to cuddle it, to sing it lullabies, to cradle it, to get it up, to put it to bed, and to nourish it... -- Honoré de Balzac, Droll Stories 

But that was a little later—just now Narlikar and Bose were tending to Ahmed Sinai's toe; midwives had been instructed to wash and swaddle the newborn pair; and now Miss Mary Pereira made her contribution. -- Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children

Swaddle is related to the Old English word swath meaning “a bandage or wrap.”

Dictionary.com Word of the Day
http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/