The Collaborative International Dictionary
merkin \mer"kin\, n.
Originally, a wig; afterwards, a mop for cleaning cannon.
A patch of false hair, or something resembling hair, worn on a string over the female pudenda; -- used by stripteasers.
The hair on the female pubic area. [slang]
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"female pudenda," 1530s, apparently a variant of malkin in its sense of "mop." Meaning "artificial vagina or 'counterfeit hair for a woman's privy parts' " is attested from 1610s. According to "The Oxford Companion to the Body," the custom of wearing merkins dates from mid-15c., was associated with prostitutes, and was to disguise a want of pubic hair, shaved off either to exterminate body lice or evidence of venereal disease.\nThis put a strange Whim in his Head; which was, to get the hairy circle of [a prostitute's] Merkin .... This he dry'd well, and comb'd out, and then return'd to the Cardinall, telling him, he had brought St. Peter's Beard. [Alexander Smith, "A Complete History of the Lives and Robberies of the most notorious Highwaymen," 1714]
Wiktionary
Etymology 1 n. 1 A woman's pubic wig. Worn for nude stage appearances and by women after shaving their pubic hair (originally to eliminate lice, etc.; now often as a fashion item). 2 A mop for cleaning cannon. Etymology 2
alt. (context British slang pejorative English) An American. n. (context British slang pejorative English) An American.
Wikipedia
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A merkin is a pubic wig. Merkins were originally worn by prostitutes after shaving their genitalia, and are now used as decorative items, erotic devices, or in films, by both men and women. The female version is usually made of fur, beaver pelts, linen or some soft version of cloth, while the male version is usually made of loops, chains, or metal, and is much more closely related to the codpiece.
Merkin may refer to:
- merkin, a pubic wig
- a nickname for an American, sometimes, not always, derogatory
- Merkin Concert Hall in Manhattan, New York City
- Merkin Ball, a two-song single by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam
- Merkin (fly), A well known fly for fishing for Permit
Usage examples of "merkin".
Quiet as the interval between tracks on a CD, the neighborhood -- including of course Anne Merkin -- slept peacefully, unaware of the coming planetary doom being birthed beneath Erin's fingers.
She teleported over to her mother, touched her shoulder, probed inside, and woke Anne Merkin up.
We did a skit on that: used your profile on a sow's merkin, it's the only coverage you rate—"