whelk
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of whelk1
before 900; late Middle English, aspirated variant of Middle English welk, Old English weoloc
Origin of whelk2
before 1000; Middle English whelke, Old English hwylca, hwelca; akin to wheal
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A pair of cases are devoted to items from the Nanticoke people, including a wampum belt and necklace featuring whelk and clam shells and a toy canoe crafted from pine needles and sinew.
From Washington Post • Nov. 22, 2022
Tiny baby oysters, called spat, are attached to whelk shells and placed in the bay near the existing cages to further stabilize the shoreline.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 28, 2022
It reported the boat was regularly "operated in an unsafe manner", with the priority on carrying a large whelk catch, rather than on making sure it was stable at sea.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2022
Were I running a modestly sized whelk stall, let alone the White House, the very last person I would allow behind the scenes to observe and report on its secrets would be Michael Wolff.
From The Guardian • Jan. 7, 2018
"You live in empty whelk shells, then!" said the Child.
From The Ravens and the Angels With Other Stories and Parables by Charles, Elizabeth Rundle
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
