culla

Culla is the Italian word for cradle, the small bed or cot designed for infants. In Italian usage, la culla denotes a baby’s bed, typically used in homes, hospitals, and childcare settings. Cradles can be portable or stationary and may include features such as rocking, a hood, or bedding; modern models emphasize safety, with solid sides and slats spaced to prevent entrapment.

The term also appears in expressions that denote origin, such as culla di civiltà, meaning cradle of civilization, used to describe regions regarded as the birthplace or early development centers of a culture or era. While culla is widely used in Italian, many other languages use different words for the same object; for example Spanish uses cuna.

Beyond its everyday meaning, culla can be encountered as a surname or as part of place names in Italy, reflecting historical or regional associations with the word, though these uses are less common than the generic noun.

In discussing infant care, safety guidelines recommend using a properly sized mattress, keeping the cradle free of soft bedding and toys, and ensuring the slats are not spaced too far apart. The term is primarily used in Italian-language contexts and is not common in English, except in borrowed phrases.