SYMKYN, the diminutive of Symond, is the name of the miller in The Reeve's Tale. The details of his appearance and character are very much like those of Robin the Miller on the pilgrimage, and W.C. Curry suggests that the two millers are in reality the same person. Robin the Miller, however, does not have a camus nose, the hereditary characteristic of Symkyn's family. J.M. Steadman points out that the name involves a Latin pun, for the Latin adjective simus means "flat-nosed" or "camus-nosed." It is thus fitting that a snub-nosed person be called Symond. [Robyn1: Symond]
Symkyn occurs six times in medial positions, RvT 3945, 3947, 3955, 4024, 4034, 4291; twice in final rhyming position, RvT 3941, 3959.