bodkin Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a dagger with a slender blade
    poniard.
  2. noun formerly a long hairpin; usually with an ornamental head
  3. noun a small sharp-pointed tool for punching holes in leather or fabric
  4. noun a blunt needle for threading ribbon through loops
    threader.

WordNet

Bod"kin noun
Etymology
OE. boydekyn dagger; of uncertain origin; cf. W. bidog hanger, short sword, Ir. bideog, Gael. biodag.
Definitions
  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. Thackeray.
Bod"kin noun
Definitions
  1. See Baudekin. Obs. Shirley.

Webster 1913