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whelp

[ welp, hwelp ]
/ wɛlp, ʰwɛlp /
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noun
the young of a carnivore, as a dog, bear, lion, seal, etc.
a youth, especially an impudent or despised one.
Machinery.
  1. any of a series of longitudinal projections or ridges on the barrel of a capstan, windlass, etc.
  2. 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).
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Origin of whelp

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun, from Old English hwelp (cognate with Old Norse hvelpr, Old Saxon hwelp, Old High German hwelf, welf, German Welf); verb derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM whelp

whelp·less, adjectiveun·whelped, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH whelp

welp, whelp
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use whelp in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for whelp

whelp
/ (wɛlp) /

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
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