whelky

whelk ¹

(wĕlk, hwĕlk)

n.

Any of various large marine carnivorous snails chiefly of the family Buccinidae, having a pointed spiral shell, especially the edible species Buccinum undatum of the North Atlantic Ocean.

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[Middle English welke, whelke, from Old English weoloc; see wel- in Indo-European roots.]

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whelk ²

(wĕlk, hwĕlk)

n.

An inflamed swelling, such as a pimple or pustule.

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[Middle English whelke, from Old English hwylca; akin to hwelian, to suppurate.]

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whelk′y adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.