Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BOD'KIN, n. [Ir. bod, a limb, that is, a point, a shoot, with the termination kin, used as a diminutive; Gr. βατος, a thorn.]

1. An instrument of steel, bone, ivory, or the like, with a small blade, and a sharp point, for making holes by piercing. A like instrument with an eye, for drawing thread, tape, or ribin through a loop, &c. An instrument to dress the hair. – Johnson.
2. A dagger. [Not in use.] – Chaucer.