noun
Refers to a baby's cradle, both literally and figuratively (e.g., the cradle of civilization). Somewhat literary or formal; in everyday speech ゆりかご is more common.
赤ん坊は揺籃の中で静かに眠っている。
The baby is sleeping quietly in the cradle.
この地は古代文明の揺籃とされている。
This land is considered the cradle of ancient civilization.
ゆりかご is the common, everyday word for a baby's cradle. 揺籃 is more literary and often used in figurative or formal contexts.
Compound of 揺 (you, 'rocking') and 籃 (ran, 'basket'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning 'cradle'.