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bodkin

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A dagger, pin, or pointed instrument; famously, “bare bodkin” in Hamlet refers to a dagger or suicide weapon.

Detailed Definition
In poetry, “bodkin” conveys lethal intimacy—small but deadly. It appears in soliloquies on mortality, betrayal, or justice. Its dual use (weapon and needle) allows wordplay between violence and mending, making it potent in verses exploring the fine line between creation and destruction, or secrecy and exposure.
Example
Example in poetry:
The bodkin flashed in her determined hand; He wore a bodkin ‘neath his silken vest; The tailor’s bodkin stitched both cloth and fate; With bodkin sharp, she unpicked yesterday’s lies
Additional Notes
“Bodkin” is a dagger, pin, or pointed instrument—famously “bare bodkin” in Hamlet (suicide weapon). In poetry, it conveys lethal intimacy or secret violence. Its dual use (weapon/needle) allows wordplay between destruction and mending. Related terms include “stiletto,” “dirk,” and “awl,” but “bodkin” uniquely blends domestic and deadly connotations, ideal for verses exploring hidden threats or the fine line between creation and annihilation.
Other Meanings of “bodkin”
Also Known As
dagger stiletto
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