English

Noun

ladykin ‎(plural ladykins)

1. A little lady.
   • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 3 scene 2

     By'r lakin, I can go no further, sir; / My old bones ache [...]

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Brewer to this entry?)

Translations

Usage notes

• Applied during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, in the abbreviated form Lakin, to the Virgin Mary. The diminutive does not refer to size, but is equivalent to "dear".