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 1 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/jerkin_n1>
