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.
It found the boat had been modified and had 4.6 tonnes of whelks and whelk pots on board.
From BBC • Jul. 14, 2023
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
The group has been building steel wire cages, filling them with rocks and whelk shells and positioning them in rows along the shoreline of Barnegat Bay.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 28, 2022
As a fierce wind sent his hair flying around his face, he pointed out some of the little things he loved: a clump of pink sea thrift, a tiny whelk.
From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2021
As he grows he needs a larger house, and so leaves the tight shell and pops his tail into a bigger one, generally a whelk shell.
From On the Seashore by Smith, R. Cadwallader
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.
