Meanings
plural welkins
- also LancashireThe sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible; the firmament.
Come (Sir Page) / Looke on me vvith your VVelkin eye: […]
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 25 more examples
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.
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 9, page 47The ſkye it ſeemes vvould povvre dovvn ſtinking pitch, / But that the Sea, mounting to th' vvelkins cheeke, / Daſhes the fire out.
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 2I knowe more then Apollo, / For oft when hee ly’s sleeping / I see yͤ starrs att bloudie warres / In yͤ wounded welkin weeping, […]
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 414VVhen ſvvallovvs fleet ſoar high and ſport in air, / He told us that the vvelkin vvou'd be clear.
1714, J[ohn] Gay, “Monday; or, The Squabble”, in The Shepherd’s Week. In Six Pastorals, London: […] R. Burleigh […], →OCLC, page 5Hark hovv all the VVelkin rings / "Glory to the King of Kings, / "Peace on Earth, and Mercy mild, / "God and Sinners reconcil'd!["]
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 - The upper atmosphere occupied by clouds, flying birds, etc.
For trifles only suit an idle hour, / When school is emptied or the welkins pour.
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 3544 more examples
[W]ho you are, and vvhat you vvould are out of my vvelkin, I might ſay Element, but the word is ouer-vvorne.
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 1Rhotus was going on when day appear'd, / And with its light the cloudy welkin clear'd.
1683, John Chalkhill, “Part I”, in [Izaak Walton], editor, Thealma and Clearchus. […], London: […] Benj[amin] Tooke, […], →OCLC, page 48Down 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.
1853 January, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Malevola”, in Villette. […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder & Co., […], →OCLC, page 137At Saddlers Springs the mules raised the welkin braying for their horse cobbers that had been unsaddled before them.
1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 44 - lifestyleThe place above the Earth where God or other deities live; heaven.
[T]his villanous Poetry vvill vndoe you, by the VVelkin.
1601, Ben Jonson, Poetaster or The Arraignment: […], London: […] [R. Bradock] for M[atthew] L[ownes] […], published 1602, →OCLC, Act V3 more examples
Hovv glittereth novv this place of great requeſt, / Like to the ſeat of heavenly vvelkin hie?
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[…] 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: […]
1858, Charles Kingsley, “Andromeda”, in Andromeda and Other Poems, London: John W[illiam] Parker and Son, […], →OCLC, page 4Here we have the sky thrice, three welkins, three lights, three heavens, three earths.
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
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible; the firmament.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*wĺ̥ɡ-no-m
- Proto-Germanic*wulkną“cloud”
- Proto-West Germanic*wolkn“cloud”
- Old Englishwolcnu“sky, heavens”
- Middle Englishwelkne“weather; heavens; (earlier) cloud”
- Englishwelkin
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic سَمَاء
- سَمَاء (samāʔ)sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
Bengali আশমান
- আশমান (aśman)sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
Bulgarian небосвод, небе
- небосвод (nebosvod)sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- небе (nebe)upper atmosphere occupied by clouds, flying birds, etc.
Chinese Mandarin 蒼穹 /苍穹, 天穹
- 蒼穹 /苍穹 (cāngqióng)sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- 天穹 (tiānqióng)sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
Dutch hemelgewelf, uitspansel
- hemelgewelfsky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- uitspanselsky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
French ouelquin, voûte céleste
- ouelquinsky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- voûte célestesky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
German Firmament, Himmel
- Firmamentsky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- Himmelsky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- Himmelszeltsky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
Greek στερέωμα
- στερέωμα (steréoma)sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
Hungarian mennybolt
- mennyboltsky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
Russian небеса́, небо
- небеса́ (nebesá)sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- небо (nébo)upper atmosphere occupied by clouds, flying birds, etc.
Spanish bóveda celeste, firmamento
- bóveda celestesky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- firmamentosky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
Turkish arş, asuman
- arşsky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- asumansky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- feleksky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- fezasky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- semasky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
- uçmağsky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible — see also firmament, sky
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
welkin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/welkin
“welkin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/welkin. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “welkin,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/welkin.
Source: welkin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.