ˈwelkə̇n noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English welkin, welkne, wolkne cloud, welkin, from Old English wolcen; akin to Old Saxon & Old High German wolkan cloud, welk moist, gentle, faded, Old English wlæc, wlacu lukewarm, Old Irish folc flood of water, Old Slavic vlaga moisture
1. : the vault of heaven : firmament , sky
fearsome storm-god … with his great welkin shuddering voice — Weston La Barre
a chorus … that made the very welkin ring — Thomas Barbour
2. : the celestial regions as the abode of God or the gods : the heavens
3. : the upper atmosphere : the air in which clouds float
the Air Force, as the custodian of our welkin — New Yorker
scattered songsters probe the welkin — Jack Lusby