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bodkin
[ bod-kin ]
/ ˈbɒd kɪn /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a small, pointed instrument for making holes in cloth, leather, etc.
a long pinshaped instrument used by women to fasten up the hair.
a blunt, needlelike instrument for drawing tape, cord, etc., through a loop, hem, or the like.
Obsolete. a small dagger; stiletto.
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Origin of bodkin
1350–1400; Middle English badeken, bo(i)dekyn, of uncertain origin
Words nearby bodkin
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use bodkin in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for bodkin
bodkin
/ (ˈbɒdkɪn) /
noun
a blunt large-eyed needle used esp for drawing tape through openwork
archaic a dagger
printing a pointed steel tool used for extracting characters when correcting metal type
archaic a long ornamental hairpin
Word Origin for bodkin
C14: probably of Celtic origin; compare Gaelic biodag dagger
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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