Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Welkin \Wel"kin\, n. [OE. welken, welkene, welkne, wolcne,
weolcne, AS. wolcen, pl. wolcnu, a cloud; akin to D. wolk,
OFries. wolken, OS. wolkan, G. wolke, OHG. wolchan, and
probably to G. welk withered, OHG. welc moist, Russ. & OSlav.
vlaga moisture, Lith. vilgyti to moisten.]
The visible regions of the air; the vault of heaven; the sky.
On the welkne shoon the sterres lyght. --Chaucer.
The fair welkin foully overcast. --Spenser.
When storms the welkin rend. --Wordsworth.
Note: Used adjectively by Shakespeare in the phase, ``Your
welkin eye,'' with uncertain meaning.
WordNet (r) 2.0
welkin
n : the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which
celestial bodies appear to be projected [syn: celestial
sphere, sphere, empyrean, firmament, heavens, vault
of heaven]
Greetz,
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