bodkin
Americannoun
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a small, pointed instrument for making holes in cloth, leather, etc.
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a long pinshaped instrument used by women to fasten up the hair.
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a blunt, needlelike instrument for drawing tape, cord, etc., through a loop, hem, or the like.
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Obsolete. a small dagger; stiletto.
noun
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a blunt large-eyed needle used esp for drawing tape through openwork
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archaic a dagger
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printing a pointed steel tool used for extracting characters when correcting metal type
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archaic a long ornamental hairpin
Etymology
Origin of bodkin
1350–1400; Middle English badeken, bo ( i ) dekyn, of uncertain origin
Explanation
Watch out! The robber has a bodkin! A bodkin is a short knife with a thin blade. This sweet little word isn’t so sweet — it’s a dagger with a thin blade that’s used as a weapon. It is little though, and easy to hide in a cape. Bodkins are mentioned throughout Shakespeare's plays. For example, Hamlet mentioned a "bare bodkin" in his "to be or not to be" soliloquy. Bodkin is also a word for other little sharp things, like a kind of hemming needle or hair pin, but either way, you're most likely to find one in a museum.
Vocabulary lists containing bodkin
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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A Storm of Swords
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Among the historic items is the silver gilt Bodkin Cup from 1525, insured on its own for more than £1m.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2024
Molly Bodkin has had an emergency housing voucher since June, which she hoped could finally house her, her partner, and their two children.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2022
She recently added an amber wine called Where’s Linus?, made by Chris Christensen of California’s Bodkin Wines.
From Washington Post • Aug. 11, 2022
OC Guns store owner Scott Bodkin, who was cited by the Los Angeles Times, said his sales have doubled in recent weeks.
From Fox News • Jun. 10, 2019
Ernie Bodkin knocked my shoulder as he rushed by.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
