whelp

[hwelp, welp]

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noun

the young of the dog, or of the wolf, bear, lion, tiger, seal, etc.

a youth, especially an impudent or despised one.

Machinery.

any of a series of longitudinal projections or ridges on the barrel of a capstan, windlass, etc.
any of the teeth of a sprocket wheel.

verb (used with or without object)

(of a female dog, lion, etc.) to give birth to (young).

Origin of whelp

before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English hwelp (cognate with German Welf); (v.) Middle English whelpen, derivative of the noun

Related formswhelp·less, adjectiveun·whelped, adjective

Synonyms for whelp

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR whelp ON THESAURUS.COM

2. brat, urchin, whippersnapper.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for whelp

puppy, cub, dog, pup

Examples from the Web for whelp

Historical Examples of whelp

Stop that barkin', now, you whelp, Or I'll kick you till you yelp!
Farm Ballads
Will Carleton
For as the lion's whelp may be called a lion, or the horse's foal a foal, so the son of a king may be called a king.
Cratylus
Plato
"It seems you love that—whelp, that thing that was my brother," he said, sneering.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
Give the whelp a couple of half-crowns, Halkett, and send him adrift.
Confessions Of Con Cregan
Charles James Lever
How came you here, you vagabond Irish whelp, in this company?
Sir Ludar
Talbot Baines Reed

British Dictionary definitions for whelp

whelp

noun

a young offspring of certain animals, esp of a wolf or dog

derogatory a young man or youth

jocular a young child

nautical any of the ridges, parallel to the axis, on the drum of a capstan to keep a rope, cable, or chain from slipping

verb

(of an animal or, disparagingly, a woman) to give birth to (young)

Word Origin for whelp

Old English hwelp (a); related to Old High German hwelf, Old Norse hvelpr, Danish hvalp

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

Word Origin and History for whelp

Old English hwelp "whelp, young of the dog," from a Germanic root related to Old Saxon hwelp, Old Norse hvelpr, Dutch welp, German hwelf; of unknown origin. Now largely displaced by puppy. Also applied to wild animals. Sense of "scamp" first recorded early 14c.