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Synonyms

whelk

1 American  
[hwelk, welk] / ʰwɛlk, wɛlk /

noun

  1. any of several large, spiral-shelled, marine gastropods of the family Buccinidae, especially Buccinum undatum, that is used for food in Europe.


whelk 2 American  
[welk, hwelk] / wɛlk, ʰwɛlk /

noun

  1. a pimple or pustule.


whelk 1 British  
/ wɛlk /

noun

  1. any carnivorous marine gastropod mollusc of the family Buccinidae, of coastal waters and intertidal regions, having a strong snail-like shell

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

whelk 2 British  
/ wɛlk /

noun

  1. a raised lesion on the skin; wheal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

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

In the 1990s, the population of horseshoe crabs along the East Coast was decimated by fishermen who used them as bait to catch eel and corner the lucrative market for whelk or conch.

From Washington Post • Jul. 30, 2021

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

Here, adhering to this large whelk, is another, but far larger and coarser.

From Glaucus, or the Wonders of the Shore by Kingsley, Charles

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