In my September 2025 newsletter, I write about English words that end in -kin, and how they usually come from the Dutch. Here are the bits that I took out, because it was getting too long.
Other words that end in -kin
From the late Middle Ages on, English had quite a few words that ended in -kin, either from the Dutch, or from unknown origins. Many of these words have since fallen into disuse, but here are a few of them, just to give you a sense of how many there were.
dodkin – the doit was a Dutch coin, an eighth of a stiver (see the word stuiver in there?). Not being worth much, it was called dodkin, little doit.
firkin – a small cask for liquids, fish or butter. Originally a quarter of the size of a normal barrel, the name comes from Dutch vierdekijn, a small quarter.
bodkin – a little knife, also used for a pin to pin up women’s hair. Origin unknown.
pipkin – a small earthenware vessel like a pot, pan or bottle. Origin unknown.
griskin – a bit of pork (grice is a word for pig)
devilkin – a little devil (1656)
cannikin – a small drinking vessel; from Dutch kanneken
Thumbkin – the name of your thumb in the song “where is Thumbkin”, which is still popular today.
I’m sure there are more! Let me know in the comments!
Dutch names with -ke
Of course, -ke at the end of a first name is still very common in Dutch, especially in girls’ names like Anneke (little Anne), Marieke (little Mary), Renske (little Renate), but also some boys’ names like Heike (Frysian; little Hendrik) and Sjefke (Flemish; little Josef).
Augurk & German
If German calls a cucumber a Gurke, and calls a gherkin a Gurke, too, then how do they tell the difference? By calling gherkins eingelegte Gurken, which I always think is funny, because it is so ridiculously long.
Nothing beats the German word for borrelnootjes, though, which is, I kid you not, Erdnüsse im Teigmantel. It’s not only what is written on the packet, it’s really what they say!
Napkins and nappies
Nappy, the British English word for diaper, came from the word napkin, and has surprisingly only been in use since 1920. What did they say before? Diaper, of course! A diaper was a certain type of cloth, and in this sense has been in use since at least 1330.
Heddwen Newton is an English teacher and a translator from Dutch into English. She thinks about languages way too much, for example about how strange it is that these little blurb things are written in the third person.
Heddwen has two children, two passports, two smartphones, two arms, two legs, and two email newsletters.
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