This week’s theme
Words that aren’t what they appear to be

This week’s words
sadiron
adoral
lust-house
bodkin
atrophy

---

A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(BOD-kin, -kuhn)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A small, pointed instrument for making holes in cloth, etc.
2. A blunt needle for drawing tape or cord through a loop or a hem.
3. A long, ornamental hairpin.
4. A dagger or stiletto.

ETYMOLOGY:

Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1386.

USAGE:

“Wild plums like these are excellent pricked with a bodkin.”
Helen Yemm; No-Hassle Hedge and Fancying Up a Fence; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Oct 29, 2016.

See more usage examples of bodkin in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: