lullaby

[luhl-uh-bahy]

noun

plural

lullabies 

1. a song used to lull a child to sleep; cradlesong.

2. any lulling song.

verb (used with object)

lullabied, lullabying 

1. to lull with or as with a lullaby.

lullaby

/ ˈlʌləˌbaɪ /

noun

1. a quiet song to lull a child to sleep

2. the music for such a song

verb

1. (tr) to quiet or soothe with or as if with a lullaby

Word History and Origins

Origin of lullaby¹

1550–60; equivalent to lulla, lulla ( y ), interjection used in cradlesongs ( late Middle English lullai, lulli ) + -by, as in bye-bye

Word History and Origins

Origin of lullaby¹

C16: perhaps a blend of _lull + _goodbye

Example Sentences

After birth, a baby is immediately immersed in a sea of words and rhythm, as their caregivers coo over them, chatter and sing lullabies.

From Los Angeles Times

Toni Morrison, whose “Beloved” changed me when I first read it as a teen, showed me how a novel can be ghost story, reckoning, testimony and lullaby all at once.

From Los Angeles Times

I also like to listen to lullaby music, which makes me sound like a fetus, but it helps me get over my insomniac tendencies.

From Los Angeles Times

Soon to enchant the audience with her honeyed vocals is Judeline, the Spanish Venezuelan singer known for her heavenly electronic pop lullabies.

From Los Angeles Times

Not long afterwards she was looking through an old briefcase when she came across an ageing, brown reel-to-reel tape-recording of her lullaby.

From BBC