welkin

English

WOTD – 23 March 2022

Etymology

From Middle English welken (“weather; heavens; earlier cloud”), from Old English wolcn (“cloud”) (wolcnu pl (“sky, heavens”)), from Proto-West Germanic *wolkn (“cloud”), from Proto-Germanic *wulkną (“cloud”), from Proto-Indo-European *wl̥g-nó-s, from *welg- (“damp; wet”). Cognate with Dutch wolk (“cloud”), German Wolke (“cloud”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈwɛlkɪn/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwɛlkən/
• Rhymes: (General American) -ɛlkən
• Hyphenation: wel‧kin

Noun

welkin (plural welkins) (archaic except literary or poetic)

1. (also Lancashire) The sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible; the firmament.

   Synonyms: ether, (dialectal) heavens, lift

   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 9, page 47:

     He leaues the vvelkin vvay moſt beaten playne, / And rapt with vvhirling vvheeles, inflames the ſkyen, / With fire not made to burne, but fayrely for to ſhyne.

   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 1, column 2:

     The ſkye it ſeemes vvould povvre dovvn ſtinking pitch, / But that the Sea, mounting to th' vvelkins cheeke, / Daſhes the fire out.

   • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 278, column 2:

     Come (Sir Page) / Looke on me vvith your VVelkin eye: […]

     Referring to a blue coloured eye.

   • c. 1620, [anonymous], “Poems from Songbooks and Miscellanies before 1660 [Tom o’ Bedlam]”, in R[obert] C[ecil] Bald, editor, Seventeenth-century English Poetry (The Harper English Literature Series; from Giles Earle His Booke, British Museum, Additional MSS. 24,665), New York, N.Y., Evanston, Ill.: Harper & Row, published 1959, →OCLC, page 414:

     I knowe more then Apollo, / For oft when hee ly’s sleeping / I see yͤ starrs att bloudie warres / In yͤ wounded welkin weeping, […]

   • 1714, J[ohn] Gay, “Monday; or, The Squabble”, in The Shepherd’s Week. In Six Pastorals, London: […] R. Burleigh […], →OCLC, page 5:

     VVhen ſvvallovvs fleet ſoar high and ſport in air, / He told us that the vvelkin vvou'd be clear.

   • 1739, John Wesley, Charles Wesley, “Hymn for Christmas-Day [later Hark! The Herald Angels Sing]”, in Hymns and Sacred Poems, London: […] William Strahan; and sold by James Hutton, […]; and at Mr. Bray’s, […], →OCLC, part II, verse 1, page 206:

     Hark hovv all the VVelkin rings / "Glory to the King of Kings, / "Peace on Earth, and Mercy mild, / "God and Sinners reconcil'd!["]

   • 1748, James Thomson, “Canto II”, in The Castle of Indolence: […], London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, stanza XLIV, page 63:

     Black ruptur'd Clouds deform'd the VVelkin’s Face, / And from beneath vvas heard a vvailing Sound, / As of Infernal Sprights in Cavern bound; […]

   • 1802, Joanna Baillie, “Ethwald: A Tragedy, in Five Acts. Part Second.”, in A Series of Plays: In which It is Attempted to Delineate the Stronger Passions of the Mind. […], volume II, London: […] T[homas] Cadell, Jun. and W[illiam] Davies, […], →OCLC, Act V, scene iii, page 344:

     I've seen the moving stars / Shoot rapidly athwart the sombre sky, / Red fiery meteors in the welkin blaze, / And sheeted lightnings gleam, but ne'er before / Saw I a sight like this.

   • 1817, [Walter Scott], “Canto First”, in Harold the Dauntless; […], Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC, stanza II, pages 10–11:

     So wide and so far his ravage they knew, / If a sail but gleam'd white 'gainst the welkin blue, / Trumpet and bugle to arms did call, / Burghers hasten'd to man the wall, […]

   • 1822, [Walter Scott], chapter III, in Peveril of the Peak. […], volume IV, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 44:

     Which, by the welkin and its stars, you would not be slow in avenging, Master Christian.

   • 1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Phœbe”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, pages 136–137:

     I look out at some early hour of the day, and see a fine, perfect rainbow, bright with promise, gloriously spanning the beclouded welkin of life.

   • 1858 October 16, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “[Birds of Passage.] Sandalphon.”, in The Courtship of Miles Standish, and Other Poems, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 204:

     When I look from my window at night, / And the welkin above is all white, / All throbbing and panting with stars, / Among them majestic is standing / Sandalphon the angel, expanding / His pinions in nebulous bars.

   • 1888–1891, Herman Melville, “[Billy Budd, Foretopman.] Chapter XI.”, in Billy Budd and Other Stories, London: John Lehmann, published 1951, →OCLC, page 257:

     To him, the spirit lodged within Billy and looking out from his welkin eyes as from windows, that ineffability which made the dimple in his dyed cheek, suppled his joints, and danced in his yellow curls, made him pre-eminently the Handsome Sailor.

     Referring to blue coloured eyes.

   • 1951 May 11, Bosley Crowther, “The Screen: ‘Great Caruso’ makes its debut; Mario Lanza plays the famous tenor in Metro movie at Radio City Music Hall”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 June 2018, page 40, column 2:

     Mr. [Mario] Lanza has an excellent young tenor voice and he uses it in his many numbers with impressive dramatic power. Likewise, Miss [Dorothy] Kirsten and Miss [Blanche] Thebom are ladies who can rock the welkin, too, and their contributions to the concert maintain it at a musical high.

2. The upper atmosphere occupied by clouds, flying birds, etc.
   • c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 273, column 1:

     [W]ho you are, and vvhat you vvould are out of my vvelkin, I might ſay Element, but the word is ouer-vvorne.

     Used figuratively.

   • 1683, John Chalkhill, “Part I”, in [Izaak Walton], editor, Thealma and Clearchus. […], London: […] Benj[amin] Tooke, […], →OCLC, page 48:

     Rhotus was going on when day appear'd, / And with its light the cloudy welkin clear'd.

   • 1784, Joseph Budworth, chapter XL, in A Fortnight’s Ramble to the Lakes in Westmoreland, Lancashire, and Cumberland, 3rd edition, London: […] John Nichols and Son, […]; [a]nd sold by T[homas] Cadell and W[illiam] Davies, […]; and John Upham, […], published 1810, →OCLC, page 354:

     For trifles only suit an idle hour, / When school is emptied or the welkins pour.

   • 1853 January, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Malevola”, in Villette. […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder & Co., […], →OCLC, page 137:

     Down washed the rain, deep lowered the welkin; the clouds, ruddy a while ago, had now, through all their blackness, turned deadly pale, as if in terror.

3. (religion) The place above the Earth where God or other deities live; heaven.
   • 1601, Ben Jonson, Poetaster or The Arraignment: […], London: […] [R. Bradock] for M[atthew] L[ownes] […], published 1602, →OCLC, Act V:

     [T]his villanous Poetry vvill vndoe you, by the VVelkin.

   • 1610, William Camden, “Kent”, in Philémon Holland, transl., Britain, or A Chorographicall Description of the Most Flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, […], London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press for] Georgii Bishop & Ioannis Norton, →OCLC, page 327:

     Hovv glittereth novv this place of great requeſt, / Like to the ſeat of heavenly vvelkin hie?

   • 1858, Charles Kingsley, “Andromeda”, in Andromeda and Other Poems, London: John W[illiam] Parker and Son, […], →OCLC, page 4:

     […] Cassiopœia was taken, / Deep-bosomed wife of the king, whom oft far-seeing Apollo / Watched well-pleased from the welkin, the fairest of Æthiop women: […]

   • 1868 March, Max Müller, “Art. VIII.—The Sixth Hymn of the First Book of the Rig Veda.”, in The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, volume III (New Series), London: Trübner and Co., […], →ISSN, →OCLC, page 239:

     Here we have the sky thrice, three welkins, three lights, three heavens, three earths.

Derived terms

• make the welkin ring, ring the welkins

Translations

the sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament,‎ sky

• Arabic: سَمَاء f (samāʔ)
• Bengali: আশমান (bn) (aśman)
• Bulgarian: небосвод m (nebosvod)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 蒼穹／苍穹 (zh) (cāngqióng),天穹 (zh) (tiānqióng)

• Dutch: hemelgewelf (nl) n, uitspansel (nl) n
• French: ouelquin m (poetic, archaic), voûte céleste (fr) f (poetic)
• German: Firmament (de) n (mildly higher register or poetic), Himmel (de) m, Himmelszelt (de) n (poetic)
• Greek: στερέωμα (el) n (steréoma)
• Hungarian: mennybolt (hu)
• Russian: небеса́ (ru) n (nebesá) (plural only, poetic)
• Sanskrit: अम्बर (sa) n (ambara)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ша̑р m

  Roman: šȃr (sh) m

• Turkish: arş (tr), asuman (tr), felek (tr), feza (tr), sema (tr), uçmağ (tr)

the upper atmosphere occupied by clouds, flying birds, etc.

• Bulgarian: небе (bg) n (nebe)

place above the Earth where God or other deities live — see heaven

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} égbolt (hu)
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} andlangur (is) m (archaic)

See also

• ethereal

Further reading

• welkin (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Michael Quinion (November 4, 2000) “Welkin”, in World Wide Words.

Anagrams

• Wilken, Winkle, winkle