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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

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.

“How about the Whelk? I think I would like to be the Whelk.”

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Perhaps you have seen the egg-bundle of the Whelk.

From On the Seashore by Smith, R. Cadwallader

The Whelk and Periwinkle are gathered in immense numbers, and are used by us for food.

From On the Seashore by Smith, R. Cadwallader

When you next gather shells on the beach, look at them closely; in some you will see where Mr. Whelk, the burglar, has been at work.

From On the Seashore by Smith, R. Cadwallader

Whelk: cut off its head and tail, throw away its operculum, mantle, &c., cut it in two, and put it on the sturgeon, adding vinegar.

From Early English Meals and Manners by Furnivall, Frederick James

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.