Bod"kin (?), n. [OE. boydekyn dagger; of uncertain origin; cf. W. bidog hanger, short sword, Ir. bideog, Gael. biodag.]
1.
A dagger.
[Obs.]
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin.
Shak.
2. Needlework
An implement of steel, bone, ivory, etc., with a sharp point, for making holes by piercing; a tiletto; an eyeleteer.
3. Print.
A sharp tool, like an awl, used for picking ut letters from a column or page in making corrections.
4.
A kind of needle with a large eye and a blunt point, for drawing tape, ribbon, etc., through a loop or a hem; a tape needle.
Wedged whole ages in a bodkin's eye.
Pope.
5.
A kind of pin used by women to fasten the hair.
To sit, ride, or travel bodkin, to sit closely wedged between two persons. [Colloq.]
Thackeray.
© Webster 1913.
Bod"kin, n.
See Baudekin.
[Obs.]
Shirley.
© Webster 1913.