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prettygoodwordwelkin (WEL-kin) - (lit./arch.) n., the sky, the vault of the heavens.
Another that goes back to Old English, in this case wolcen/wolcn, cloud (cognate of German Wolke, cloud), and after the transition to Middle English welken/wolken, it initially retained that meaning before shifting to the current sense. According to one dictionary, the carol that now starts "Hark, the herald angels sing" was originally "Hark, how all the welkin ring" (using modernized spelling).
---L.
Another that goes back to Old English, in this case wolcen/wolcn, cloud (cognate of German Wolke, cloud), and after the transition to Middle English welken/wolken, it initially retained that meaning before shifting to the current sense. According to one dictionary, the carol that now starts "Hark, the herald angels sing" was originally "Hark, how all the welkin ring" (using modernized spelling).
---L.
