Before mechanized harvesting (before 1840 CE) grain was cut with a scythe. The cut grain was gathered into sheaves and stooks. A good worker could cut 2 acres of grain a day.

The cradle was an attachment of a basket or wood fingers behind the scythe blade that allowed the cut grain to be tossed or dropped in a swath to allow easier sheaving and stooking.

According to SOWPODS (the combination of Scrabble dictionaries used around the world) there are 1 words with the pattern -HEAV---. That is, eight letter words with 2nd letter H and 3rd letter E and 4th letter A and 5th letter V. In alphabetical order, they are:

sheaving

According to SOWPODS (the combination of Scrabble dictionaries used around the world) there are 10 words with the pattern ---AVIN-. That is, eight letter words with 4th letter A and 5th letter V and 6th letter I and 7th letter N. In alphabetical order, they are:

behaving

cleaving

encaving

greaving

impaving

incaving

ottavino

repaving

sheaving

sleaving

According to SOWPODS (the combination of Scrabble dictionaries used around the world) there are 8 words with the pattern -HEA---G. That is, eight letter words with 2nd letter H and 3rd letter E and 4th letter A and 8th letter G. In alphabetical order, they are:

cheaping

cheating

sheading

sheafing

shealing

shearing

shearleg

sheaving

According to SOWPODS (the combination of Scrabble dictionaries used around the world) there are 8 words with the pattern S-E-VI--. That is, eight letter words with 1st letter S and 3rd letter E and 5th letter V and 6th letter I. In alphabetical order, they are:

sheaving

shelvier

shelving

sleaving

sleeving

steeving

sterving

swerving