Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Bodkin \Bod"kin\ (b[o^]d"k[i^]n), n. [OE. boydekyn dagger; of
   uncertain origin; cf. W. bidog hanger, short sword, Ir.
   bideog, Gael. biodag.]
   1. A dagger. [Obs.]

            When he himself might his quietus make With a bare
            bodkin.                               --Shak.

   2. (Needlework) An implement of steel, bone, ivory, etc.,
      with a sharp point, for making holes by piercing; a
      ?tiletto; an eyeleteer.

   3. (Print.) A sharp tool, like an awl, used for picking ?ut
      letters from a column or page in making corrections.

   4. A kind of needle with a large eye and a blunt point, for
      drawing tape, ribbon, etc., through a loop or a hem; a
      tape needle.

            Wedged whole ages in a bodkin's eye.  --Pope.

   5. A kind of pin used by women to fasten the hair.

   {To sit}, {ride}, or {travel bodkin}, to sit closely wedged
      between two persons. [Colloq.] --Thackeray.