Adjective
alkin (not comparable)
- (obsolete except Midlands, Northern England, Scotland) Of all or every kind; all kinds or sorts of; intermingled and various.
- alkin crafty men ― craftsmen of every kind
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: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.- I saw a plain of peerless pulchritude, / Wherein abounded all kinds of things good / Spice, wine, corn, oil, tree, fruit, flower, herbs green, / All fowls, beasts, birds, and all kinds of food.
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: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. 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: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.- Through which they are exalted into pride, / Their violence and wrong walks full wide / Through their great might in all kinds of lust they live, / What they can think unto their heart they give.
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: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.- The Empress hearing the child yet was not dead / A new conceit then took she in her head, / Through all the town, [she] made flight in all directions / The carriage horse yet would draw wains and carts / And filled the same with all kinds of gear, / Her ornaments and clothes that she should wear. / Made her to pass unto her father's home, / Saying she would no longer thole [endure] such shame.
Further reading
- “alkin, a.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, reproduced from William A[lexander] Craigie, A[dam] J[ack] Aitken [et al.], editors, A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue: […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1931–2002, →OCLC.
- Joseph Wright, editor (1898), “ALKIN, phr. used attrib.”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volume I (A–C), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC, page 38, column 1.