Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1725, 1787-1804
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JERKIN, n.1 Also jirkin and dims. jerkie, jerkenet, jirkinet(t).
1. A kind of bodice formerly worn by women; a “substitute for stays, without whalebone” (Rxb. 1825 Jam.).Sc. 1725 W. Thomson Orpheus Caled. (1733) II. 99:
A Jerkenet, scarce worth a Louse.Ayr. 1787 Burns My Lord a-hunting Chorus:
Jenny's jimps and jirkinet.Abd. 1804 W. Tarras Poems 74:
Till out some bonny lassie pop'd, In jerkin white like driven snaw.
2. A close-fitting blouse with short sleeves “still worn by some dairymen” (Kcb.10 1948, jerkie; Gall. 1959).
[Extended meaning of Eng. jerkin. O.Sc. has girkin coit, 1529, girkienet, c.1689.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Jerkin n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/jerkin_n1>
