merkin
/ˈmɜːkɪn/noun, adjective
merkin is spelled M-E-R-K-I-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 93,703rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, merkin means “A woman's pubic wig. Worn for nude stage appearances and by women, originally after shaving their pubic hair to eliminate lice or for other reasons…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of merkin is merkins.
How many letters and syllables are in merkin?
| Letters | 6: M-E-R-K-I-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 93,703rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is merkin?
Merkin appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 93,703rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce merkin?
- UK /ˈmɜːkɪn/
Merkin has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-merkin.ogg, En-us-merkin.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of merkin
- merkins plural
- 'merkin
- murkin
- 'murkin
- more merkin comparative
- most merkin superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does merkin mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A woman's pubic wig. Worn for nude stage appearances and by women, originally after shaving their pubic hair to eliminate lice or for other reasons, now often as a fashion item.
- 2
A mop for cleaning cannon.
- 3
slangThe male counterpart of a beard, a companion to a lesbian to feign her straightness.
- 4
UKderogatoryslangAn American.
adjective
- 1
UKderogatoryslangAmerican.
noun
- 1
A cannibalistic tribe native to the Cape York Peninsula.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Merkin in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense pubic wig:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Schamhaartoupet |
| Spanish | peluca púbica |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does merkin come from?
First attested in 1617, probably a variant form of malkin, from Malde + -kin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).