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bodkin

 - 3 dictionary results

bod⋅kin

  [bod-kin]
Use bodkin in a Sentence
–noun
1. a small, pointed instrument for making holes in cloth, leather, etc.
2. a long pinshaped instrument used by women to fasten up the hair.
3. a blunt, needlelike instrument for drawing tape, cord, etc., through a loop, hem, or the like.
4. Obsolete. a small dagger; stiletto.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME badeken, bo(i)dekyn, of uncert. orig.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bod·kin   (bŏd'kĭn)   
n.  

  1. A small, sharply pointed instrument for making holes in fabric or leather.

  2. A blunt needle for pulling tape or ribbon through a series of loops or a hem.

  3. A long hairpin, usually with an ornamental head.

  4. Printing An awl or pick for extracting letters from set type.

  5. A dagger or stiletto.


[Middle English boidekin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

bodkin 
1386, boydekin, of unknown origin. The ending suggests a dim. form, and Celtic has been suggested at the source of the root.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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