welkin

== English == === Etymology === Inherited from Middle English welkne (“weather; heavens; (earlier) cloud”), from Old English wolcnu (“sky, heavens”), plural form of wolcn (“cloud”), from Proto-West Germanic *wolkn (“cloud”), from Proto-Germanic *wulkną (“cloud”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥ɡ-no-m, from *welg- (“damp; wet”). Cognate with Dutch wolk (“cloud”), German Wolke (“cloud”). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈwɛlkɪn/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈwɛlkən/ Rhymes: (General American) -ɛlkən Hyphenation: wel‧kin === Noun === welkin (plural welkins) (literary or poetic, otherwise archaic) (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 The upper atmosphere occupied by clouds, flying birds, etc. (religion) The place above the Earth where God or other deities live; heaven. ==== Derived terms ==== make the welkin ring, ring the welkins ==== Translations ==== === See also === ethereal === References === === Further reading === welkin (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Michael Quinion (November 4, 2000), “Welkin”, in World Wide Words. === Anagrams === Wilken, Winkle, winkle