Dictionary

alkin en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈɔlkɪn/ (Scotland)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈɔlkɪn/ (General-American)
• /ˈɔːlkɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈɑl-/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English alkin, alkinnes (“of all kinds”) [and other forms], from Old English ealle cynn (“of all kinds”) [and other forms], from eall (“all”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“all; beyond; other”)) + cynn (“kind; family”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget, give birth; to produce”)). The English word is analysable as all + kin (“(obsolete) class (of animals, persons, or things) having common attributes, kind”). Compare Swedish allsköns, Danish alskens.

Meanings

1. (Northern-England, Scotland, not-comparable, qualifier:obsolete except Midlands) Of all or every kind; all kinds or sorts of; intermingled and various.
   • I saw ane plane of peirles pulchritude, / Quhairin aboundit alkin things gude / Spyce, wine, corne, oyle, tre, frute, flour, herbis grene, / All foullis, beistis, birdis, and alkin fude. 1501, Gavin Douglas, “The Palice of Honour [The Palace of Honour]”, in John Small, editor, The Poetical Works of Gavin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld, […], volume I, Edinburgh: William Paterson; London: H. Sotheran & Co., published 1874, →OCLC, 3rd part, page 54, lines 16–19:
   • The Emprice heiring yᵉ child ᵹit was not deid / Ane new conſait than tuik ſcho in hir heid, / Throw all the toun gart fle in alkin artis / The carage hors yat wald draw wanis & cartis / And fillit the ſame with alkin kinde of geir, / Hir Ornamentis and clais that ſcho ſuld weir. / Maid hir to pas vnto hir Father hame, / Saying ſcho wald na langer thoill ſic ſchame. 1578, John Rolland, “The Fyft Taill of the Emprice [The Fifth Tale of the Empress]”, in The Seven Sages, in Scotish Metre, Edinburgh: The Bannatyne Club, published 1837, →OCLC, page 156:
   • Throw quhilk thay ar exaltit in to pryde, / Thair violence and wrang walkis full wyde / Throw thair grit micht in alkin luſt they leif, / Quhat thay can think vnto thair hart thay geif. c. 1540 (date written), John Wedderburn, James Wedderburn, Robert Wedderburn, “Quam bonus Deus Israel [How Good is the God of Israel]. Psal[m] lxxiij.”, in David Laing, editor, A Compendious Book of Psalms and Spiritual Songs, Commonly Known as “The Gude and Godlie Ballates.” […], Edinburgh: W[illiam] Paterson, published 1868, →OCLC, page 88:
   • alkin crafty men
   • Alas, I have no time to tarry / To show you all the fery fary [footnote: bustle and confusion]; / How those that had the governance / Among themselves raised variance, / And who most to my scathe consentit / Within few yearis sore repentit, / When they could make me no remeid: / For they were hurlit out by the heid, / And others took the governing / Well worse than they in alkin thing. c. 1528–1530, David Lindsay [i.e., David Lyndsay], “John Skelton and Sir David Lindsay, with Others.—a.d. 1500 to a.d. 1550. [Lindsay’s Complaint.]”, in Henry Morley, editor, Shorter English Poems […] (The Library of English Literature; part 1), London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published [1875], →OCLC, pages 148–149, lines 290–299:

Forms