Searchable Lemmata: baldekin (AF), baldekinus (L), baudekin (ME), boytkin (Corn), baudkin (OScots), baudekin (MdE), baldachin (MdE).
Alternate Forms: baldeskin, baudequin, baudquin, bandekyn, baudekyn, blawdekyn, baldekinum, bauldekin, badkin, baldaquin, bawdekyn, bawdakyn, baudekina, balkeno, baldequino, baldachinum, baldekinos, baudequinis, baldekyns, baldeskyns.
1a(n.)
Textile;
rich, silken textile. Typically used to refer to a textile of mixed silk and gold or silver thread (often made with gilded membrane filé thread) which could be embroidered or brocaded.
Schendl & Wright (2011: 31) observing that much of such word-stock was mediated through AF cite the example of baudekin, as ultimately from an Arabic form Baghdadi ‘(cloth) of Baghdad’. This passed into Italian baldacco, was then adopted into AF where forms with and without /l/ vocalisation are found, e.g. baldekin, baudequin (AND s.v. baldekin), and then passed from AF into ME. Commodities from a particular place were exported and traded in many centres leading to simultaneous borrowings for the name of that item in various languages: are such forms best regarded as borrowings or did they bring something of their original language (or code) with them, for example in pronunciation or cultural connotations, and if so, for how long? Or is it better not to regard them as part of the lexicon of individual languages at all, but as ‘international’ words?
John of Newbury's Great Wardrobe account for 1360-1 details a wedding dress for Edward III's daughter Mary, consisting of 'a mantle and a tunic of cloth of gold "racamatiz" of Lucca and of cloth of gold "baldekyn d'outremer"' (Newton, S. M., 1980, p.61). The Great Wardrobe accounts for 1363-4 mention a gown for Philippa (wife of Edward III), made from blue and gold 'baldekyn' of Lucca, totalling four whole cloths (24 ells) and with a lining of trimmed minver and finished with some 30 skins of ermine (cf. the attestation from a slightly later account below E101/395/2); in fact there are a number of references to 'baldekyn' garments in the Edward III's wardrobe accounts for the 1360s (Newton, S. M., 1980, pp. 55 & 61-63). Lisa Monnas notes that from 1376 in English statutes, 'baldekyns' were identifiable with lampas silks with a twill ground, but appear in the Great Wardrobe accounts of 1425-27 as a cloth of gold with a satin ground, demonstrating how textile terms could be applied to various materials at different times and in different texts [Monnas, L. (1989), p. 286].(ante 1245 - circa 1850)
1. abas W. [ob. 1245] ... optulit duos pannos sericos baldekinos rubeos ... unde ... subsacrista fecit duas capas
Historic.
[DMLBS SWAFHAM (117) ante 1245]
4. a Satyn: Thome Serland' ; p[ro] una pec[ia] satyn radiat' adaur' p[re]c[ium] lxx. s. p[er] iiij(or) pec' 7 trib[us] uln' satyn p[re]c' pec' cvj. s. viij. d. 7 uln' xiij. s. iiij. d. empt[o] ab eo London p[er] vic[es] infra temp[us] hui[us] comp[ut]i ---------- xxvj li[vres] xvj. s.
a pann[us] adaur' baldekyn':
de Luk': p[re]fato Simon' Bochell ; p[ro] xviij. pann[i] adaur' de luk' baldek[yn]' p[re]c' pann' cx. s. et p[ro] xij. pann[i] j. uln' pann' adaur' de luk' baldek[yn]' p[re]c' pann' cvj. s. viij. d. 7 uln' xxj. s. iiij. d. empt[o] ab eo London' p[er] vic[es] infra temp[us] hui[us] comp[ut]i ut s[upr]a ---------- c lxv. li[vres]
Doutrem': Eidem ; p[ro] quinq[ue] pann[i] adaur' doutrem' baldek[yn]' p[re]c' pann' cvj. s. viij. d. empt[o] ab eo London p[er] temp[us] p[re]d[i]c[tu]m ut sup[r]a ~ ---------- xxvj. li[vres]
a Racamatz Arg': p[re]fato Simon' Bochell ; p[ro] quatuor pann[i] argent' racamatz p[re]c' pann' vj. li[vres] empt[o] ab eo London p[er] temp[us] hui[us] comp[ut]i ut s[upr]a ----- xxiiij. li[vres]
Accounts.
[LexP NA [PRO] E 101/394/9 (m. 6a) 1362/1363]
5. [E101/395/2/23] ... robes d’une suite embroidés de jarters. ... [E101/395/2/28] ... facez liverer quatre draps de baldekyns de Luke (=from Lucca) ... deux pieces de drap de soy contenantz sys draps baldeskyns double ... deux draps de soy d’Outremer baldekyns pur lour ent faire paltoks
Accounts.
[AND PRO E101/395/2 (23-28) circa 1370]
9. [24] ... Barrynge of harneys: Stipacio, constipacio ... [25] ... Barkyn lethyr: Frunio, tanno, tannio ... Barmclothe, or naprun: Limas ... [27] ... Batyldoure [Win: Batyldere] or wasshynge betylle: Feretorium ... Bawdekyn clothe or sylke: Olosericus ... Bawderyke: Strophius. ... Bedclothe, or a rayment for a bed: Lectisternium ...
Gloss.
[MED PParv. ((Hrl 221) 24-27) circa 1440]
10. [149] ... A rede chesyble with a patyble stool and fanol of the same sute ... One chesyple of gold, poudred of yelowe and blue ... A nother coope of dyuers workes of yelowe and braunche with a tuft of blue and grene silke be hynd ... [150] ... A cope of grene bawdakyn with Red Orffrai ... Item, the veyl, other wyse called the lent cloth, of whyte lynen cloth with a cross of blue, and the lyne thereto ... The apparail ... longyng to Seynt Margaret is auter, with hyr figur steyned ... and ij bosces of copper and ouer gylt
Accounts.
[MED Acc.St.Ewen in BGAS 15 (149-150) 1454/1455]
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
1b(n.)
Furnishing;
drape or furnishing of this fabric; canopy. From the seventeenth century, baldachin was regularly associated with the canopy of rich fabric, frequently hung, held or draped over the royal, noble or episcopal throne, bed or reliquary (hence its modern meaning of a ceremonial canopy).(ante 1250 - 1500 ? still in current use)
1. [71] ... quinque baudekinos cum auro et septem pannos de aresta ... [71a] ... assignavi ... domui Loci Dei ... magnam capellam suam, sc. unam cassibulam de rubro samito et unam capam chori de rubro samito ... j tuniculam, j dalmaticam ... j albam ... , j amictum j stolam, j fanonem cum twallis et omnes reliquias suas
Accounts, Legal.
[DMLBS Cl (71-71a) circa 1225]
6. [1514] ... Oure bischop ... Braidis ouire with bawdkyns all þe brade stretis ... He plyes ouire þe pauement with pallen webis ... þar he trede sulde ... [1519] ... Mas on hi3t ouire his hede for hete of þe sone, Sylours [Dub: Silours] of sendale
Heroic, Historic, Poetic, Romance.
[MED Wars Alex. ((Ashm 44) 1514-1519) circa 1450]
7. fit unum baldachinum pro papa album cum ricamis brocali de auro ... latitudinis unius et altitudinis duarum cannarum, habens pendalia de carmusino, in quibus sint depicta arma ecclesie
Ecclesiastic/Regula.
[DMLBS Conc. (III 638b) 1494]
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
2(adj.) ;
(in apposition) of baldachin, of rich material.(1350 - 1450)
1. [E101/395/2/23] ... robes d’une suite embroidés de jarters. ... [E101/395/2/28] ... facez liverer quatre draps de baldekyns de Luke (=from Lucca) ... deux pieces de drap de soy contenantz sys draps baldeskyns double ... deux draps de soy d’Outremer baldekyns pur lour ent faire paltoks
Accounts.
[AND PRO E101/395/2 (23-28) circa 1370]
2. [E101/395/2/51] ... un lit, c’est assavoir, un coverlit, un peire de lincheux, un blanket et un canevace ... [E101/395/2/54] ... facez liverer trois draps d’or baldekyns de Luc
Accounts.
[AND PRO E101/395/2 (51-54) circa 1370]
3. [p. 229] ... (PROME item 630) vii copes de velvet cremosy, sengle et nient garnisez, pris le pece .xlvi. s. .viij. d.; xvi.li .vi. s. .viij. d. ...
(645) i cope de chamelet rouge d’or, les orfreys de velvet bloy, pris .xlvi. s. .viij. d. ...
(662) Chesible de velvet vert playn, ovec III aubes, les orfreis enbroudés ovec signes. Item, II autr' clothes, I frountell de tarterin vert, II curteynes raiés de tarterin, ovec I stole, II phanons ...
(668) Item, i chesible de damask bloy, les orfreis de velvet rouge et noier enbroudes, ovec .i. aube, et .i. amyte, pris .xxxvi. s. .viij. d. ...
(675) Item, .viij. cropers de velvet d'or rouge, frengez et usez, et chescun croper de .vi. hangers, pris .iiij.li. ...
(678) Item, .xi. horshouses de rouge drap, pris le pece .xx. d.; .xviij. s. .iiij. d. ...
(679) Item, .vij. horshouses de rouge drap, pris le pece .vi. s. .viij. d.; .xlvi. s. .viij. d. ...
[p. 230] ... i lite de soy baudekyn, blanc vert & glauc pale ...
[p. 231] ... III carpettz de lether ... ii pair’ de draps champayn fyn ... Item, i esparver palez de tarterin vert, blanc & vermaille
Legal.
[LexP PROME (Hen. VI: Parl. of Oct. 1423, items 630+) 1423]
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
Definite, Old French baudaquin and medieval Latin baldakinus. Popular etymology suggests that the word derives from Baldacco, Italian for Baghdad (Arabic Baghdadi). Modern forms (baldachin, baldaquin) probably come directly from Spanish (baldaquin), Italian (baldacchino) and/or medieval Latin usage, while earlier forms derive through Old French/Anglo-Norman.
WF:
Etym Cog: baudaquin (OF), baldaquin (Sp), baldacchino (It).
