welkin means the sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible; the firmament. It carries an Arena rating of 1552, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, welkin ranks #172 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #363 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,208 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,777 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
welkin is pronounced /ˈwɛlkɪn/.
Why “welkin” is a great word
The sky or firmament, especially when regarded poetically as the celestial vault. From Middle English welkne ('weather; heavens; cloud'), from Old English wolcnu ('sky, heavens'), plural of wolcen ('cloud'), from Proto-West Germanic *wolkn ('cloud'), from Proto-Germanic *wulkną ('cloud'), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *welg- ('damp, wet'). Unlike 'firmament,' which suggests a fixed, vaulted structure, or 'heavens,' which connotes a divine abode, welkin evokes the mutable, atmospheric dome born of cloud and damp. It is the high, thin blue of a midwinter noon; the bruised, cloud-streaked canopy that gathers at twilight; the vast, star-pricked vault arching over a silent moor—the sky not as structure or sanctuary, but as the earth's oldest, weather-worn companion, perpetually turning and wet with possibility.
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”).
noun
- The sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible; the firmament.
- The upper atmosphere occupied by clouds, flying birds, etc.
- The place above the Earth where God or other deities live; heaven.e.g.“[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 V:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- firmament 73% match — The vault of the heavens, where the clouds, sun, moon, and stars can be seen; the heavens, the sky. vs welkin →
- heaven 66% match — The sky, specifically:; The distant sky in which the sun, moon, and stars appear or move; the firmament; the celestial spheres. vs welkin →
- overworld 60% match — The celestial world. vs welkin →
- skylike 60% match — Resembling the sky or some aspect of it. vs welkin →
- heavenful 60% match — skyful vs welkin →
- firmamental 59% match — Of, belonging to, or relating to the firmament or heavens; celestial. vs welkin →
- subcelestial 59% match — Beneath the heavens, i.e. on Earth. vs welkin →
- ensky 58% match — To place in the sky. vs welkin →